


CMYK

by Factory_Manager



Series: World Wonderer [2]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: CMYK, Dragons, Fantasy, Freeform, Gangs, Gen, Minor Character Death, Monsters, No beta so feel free to tell me of any mistakes, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Universe, Original work - Freeform, Past Character Death, Reluctant Protagonist, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Trans Character, bad sounding names, they are relevant so bare with them, world wanderer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-08-10 02:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16461470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Factory_Manager/pseuds/Factory_Manager
Summary: [Part 2 of Act 1 "Introduction"]Heita is a city of four colors and their varying shades; cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The citizens here matching the limited color scheme. The underground is peacefully run by the working class Monochromes. While the city above is run by the partying Zenites who are cared for by the Monochromes. Together these races have a balanced of creativity and necessity. A balance that will soon be broken by a new group of residents; The Masked.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to Colorless. Please read that one first. There are mentions of events and characters from the previous work. You might get lost. Thank you for understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to story cover => https://www.deviantart.com/weredragon356/art/CMYK-773605408

When I opened my eyes I saw only a white ceiling. There was a high pitched beeping at my side. It was loud but at the same time, it also sounded muffled and far away. Looking around, I saw that I was in a small room with light yellow painted walls and a monitor on a stand that stood to the side of my bed. My body felt sore when I sat up and a sharp pain went through my arm. There was a thing clear tube going down to my inner elbow. It was attached to a needle that was embedded in my arm and held there by tape.

At the time I didn't pay much attention to it, I was far more distracted by my skin. It was a pale blue with lighter patches on it. At first, I was incredibly concerned about this, my skin shouldn't be that color. But then I realized I had no reference for what color my skin could look like. A woman walked into the room, I saw that her skin was a light almost white color. She wore light blue clothing that almost matched my skin.

This frightened me a bit. Not only because of the difference in skin tone but also because she was as white as and enforced. She had long black hair that was tied back and grey eyes. When she looked at me she smiled. She acted nothing like an enforcer, nor was she as thin and bony as one. She seemed to be just another person. I hoped that it wasn't just an act.

"Oh good you're awake," she said as she walked into the room. Tucking a clipboard under her arm, she extended her hand out to me. "Hello, I'm M6-8463. I am your nurse for the day. How are you feeling?"

M6-8463. That could've been her name. An identification number maybe? "I'm okay. Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You are in a hospital. You were brought here after a group of campers found you passed out in your van outside of the city. You must have been very exhausted. The ones that brought you in believing that you must have just barely pulled over before passing out. They also said that you were slumped over against the wheel. They happened to find you because the horn was going off for so long. It was a wonder the noise didn't wake you."

The van? I remember driving it out of Goldsboro and then following the road for a long time and maybe seeing a city in the distance, but that was it. I was tired, but not terribly exhausted. Definitely not enough to pass out.

"Was I alone when those people found me?" I asked

"Was there another person with you? Did your caretaker go missing?"

Caretaker? "No, I don't have one of those-"

"You don't. That isn't good. We should get you one as soon as possible," The nurse, M6-8463, said as she pulled out her clipboard and wrote on a paper. "What is your name again?"

"I- uh, I'm-" I wasn't sure what to tell her. My name wasn't like hers. I wasn't sure what that could mean in this place. She had been kind so far, but that could change in an instant for all I knew.

"Do you remember it?" She asked when she noticed my hesitation.

"I'm not from here," I admitted. "So my name is a bit different from yours."

She gave me a confused look before speaking again. "I'm not sure what you mean. You're not a monochrome like me, of course, your name will be different. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

"Goldsboro," I told her weakly.

"The shattered city," she said surprised. "Oh, you poor dear. You lost your caretaker back there, didn't you? Don't you worry, we'll get a new one sometime soon. It is a wonder they managed to get you out as far as the did. I can only wonder where the had gone after getting you two out of there."

"I never had a caretaker," I spoke a bit louder than I had meant to an immediately lowered my voice. "What I mean is, I don't even know what a caretaker is. We didn't have those in Goldsboro. I wanted to know if the people who found me also found an animal with me. He's like a large lizard and he can fly. He also had colored sections on his back. His name is Hue he should have been in the van with me."

"Oh, well, let me see." She flipped through the papers on the clipboard until she stopped and read a section. "Yes, here it is. There was some kind of animal found near the sight. It was acting a bit aggressive so the authorities took it to an animal control center. They weren't sure what it was so it was agreed that they would wait until you woke up. Is it your pet?"

"Yes," I smiled. Good, he was okay. "Is it possible that I can go get him. He's probably scared without me."

"Well, you still need to be looked over to make sure there isn't anything physically wrong with you. And after that, you need to have a caretaker to look after once you leave the hospital. But in the meantime, I can see if I can get you pet sent here instead."

"Okay." I hoped that it wouldn't take too long to get Hue back. I had gotten used to having him around.

"Are you comfortable telling your name now?"

"Uh, yes. My name is Sol."

"Okay Sol, I am going to go get the doctor. Do you need something to eat or drink? Or do you have any questions?

"Yes, actually. What are caretakers and why do I need one?"

"A caretaker is a monochrome like me who provides for non-monochrome Zenites like you. We specialize in science, mathematics, language and other technical things to keep our city running. Regular Zenites specialize in more cultural aspects such as music, art, dancing, and traditions among other things. As for why you need a caretaker, have both a caretaker and Zenite living together in a home ensures that both have a balance of, well, what is important is that there must be an equal balance of Monochromes and Zenites. For every one there must be another."

She left after that. I had nothing to say after hearing her explanation, not that she gave me any time to ask. So for several minutes, I sat there. There was a screen on the wall across from me. On it showed a white-skinned man talking about something I couldn't here. There wasn't any sound. An image appeared on the area next to him. It was of a group of people. They each had glass cups in their hands and where smiling. Some of them had light red colored skin. Or maybe it was purple. It was a mix between the two. Others had yellowish skin, and some had blue skin like me. Theirs didn't have the lighter patches as I did, but at least it was close. This brought me some comfort.

The window to my room had its blinds closed. From the gaps, I was able to see strong sunlight shining through. I could hear the distance sounds of vehicle engines mixed it with heavy footsteps that came from outside the door of my room. I looked down at myself, seeing the yellow clothing that I had been dressed in. To the left of me, on a plush chair, was my grey jacket. It had been folded neatly and the black stains of the enforcer blood were still there. The darkness had faded a bit as if someone had tried to wash it out.

I tried to reach out and grabbed it, but the needle in my armed began to pull. I should have asked the nurse about it when I had the chance. Instead, I grabbed the arm of the chair and dragged it over the tiled floor until it was close enough so that I could reach my jacket. Taking it, I felt around through the pockets until I found the key. It was solid white and appeared to be made of wood. Near the end, there was a round loop in it and the middle was long. My name was carved in the side if it. Other far end had the notches sticking out, with the middle one being the shortest.

I set the key back in my pocket and without much else to do, I slumped back in the bed and watched the screen. The man was still talking but the picture with the people was gone. I wanted to get up and move around, but I was hesitant with the needle still in my arm. Maybe I could ask to have it removed.

When the door opened up a different woman stepped through. She had the same skin tone as the other one, she had short hair and darker eyes. She smiled and introduced herself as M6-2843. She was my doctor.

"I'm glad to see that you have finally woken up. You had us worried. You've been out for a few days. No one could figure out what was wrong. Can you tell me what happened when you left the shattered city?"

"I was driving."

"Was that all?"

"That's all I know. I don't remember stopping to the side of the road or anything."

"Do you know where you are now?"

"A hospital?" Pronouncing the word felt strange. I wasn't entirely sure that I had got it right.

"Yes, but also you are in the city of Heita. Have you heard of it before?"

"No. Goldsboro was kind of an isolated city."

"Can you tell me what happened there?"

I glanced down at my hands. I didn't feel comfortable explaining that. I wasn't sure if she would even believe me. This place was different than Goldsboro, I didn't know how things worked here. For all, I knew the Overseers had a hold in this place too.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I told her.

She accepted this with a nod. "Are you feeling hungry for anything? Are you thirsty?"

"No."

"Well, I'm going to give you some ice water just in case. That way we can get this IV out of you." She gestured to the needle attached to the thin tube at my side.

It took a few minutes but the doctor pulled out the needle and placed a bandage over the area where it had been. It would have to stay there for a while in case the insertion began to bleed. Afterward, she placed a plastic band around my arm that got tighter as she continuously squeezed down on a round thing that was attached to the band by a tube. The doctor said that she was testing my blood pressure to make sure I was healthy. When she was done with that she wrote the numbers down on the clipboard she had with her.

"M6-8463 told me that you are new to Heita. Which means you aren't registered as a citizen. Registering you might take a few days, as will vetting you a caretaker. In the meantime, you will be staying here. Is there anything thing you'll want to make your stay more comfortable?"

"Hue, the animal that was found with me, when do you think I can get him back?"

"M6-8463 told me about him. I'll have to call down to animal control about that later on. For now, I want to make sure you are doing comfortable and healthy."

She then handed me the remote for the screen. It was called a television, or TV. She showed me how to use it and gave me a plastic cup filled with water. She soon left afterward. I turned up the sound on the television. The man from before was still talking on screen.

“More on the disappearances from last night. It has been reported that the four had out drinking when they came across a person who was wearing a mask.” A sketched picture of a masked was placed in the area next to him. It was of an eyeless mask that had four different colored sections. The section to the far left was a bright blue color, the next was a light red and purplish color, the third was yellow, and the far right section was solid black.

“In addition, sightings of these people has steadily increased over the last week. Citizens are reminded to stay awake from anyone wearing a mask. Anyone who has been seen interacting with these people has gone missing soon after. If you see these people, do not interact. Instead, call the authorities and leave the area. There has been no solid proof as of late, but it is strongly believed that they are the ones taking the missing people.”

I changed the channel. I didn’t want to know about this. I wanted to watch something better. Maybe something that would help me learn about this city. The next channel showed two people in an incredibly large kitchen. They both had yellowed colored skin. One was stirring something and a large metal bowl, while the other was cutting up some kind of food. It looked like it was some kind of vegetable. Celery maybe?

It was a strange blue color so it was hard to tell. Did this mean that there were only five colors in this city? How did something like that happen? Could it be a result of the color I released in Goldsboro? Things had looked fine when I left the city, but there wasn’t a way for me to know who the returning energy would affect the rest of the country. Hopefully, the limited range of color was the only thing affecting this place.

The two on the TV were cooking something called a casserole. It looked like a pretty complicated process, so it wasn't a surprise that we didn't have anything like that in Goldsboro. They also made something that they called a mixed drink. They started listing several liquids that went into it. I haven't heard of any of them before.

I switched to another channel. This was playing strange rhythmic sounds from the speakers while the people on the screen moved awkwardly together. I had no idea how to interpret any of it. I went back to watching the people who were cooking. They had moved onto something called a cake. They were in the process of mixing the dry ingredients for it. After a while and several random promotions for items I had no idea about, the door to my room opened. The nurse, M6-8463 walked in carrying a tray of food. She placed it on the table next to me and moved it so that the tabletop was over my lap. She lifted the lid of the tray to reveal what I think was a bowl soup. It was an off-putting yellow color, with darkish light red chunks and light blue bits in it. Next to it was a bright pink drink that kind of hurt my eyes to look at.

"It is just some simple beef stew," she said noticed my confused look. "You must have had it where you lived right?"

"Beef was a rarity in my city. I had never gotten a chance to taste it. I mostly ate rice and eggs," I admitted.

"Well, this will be a nice threat then."

"What's in the glass?"

"Unsweetened magenta tea."

"What is a magenta?"

She looked confused for a moment. "Oh, you probably had it called pink where you are from. Most people here call that color magenta but it depends on who you ask. Anyway, I'll be back in an hour or so to ask you a few questions okay? There are going to help me determine what kind of caregiver you will be placed with."

I nodded and I was left to eat my meal. The stew wasn't too bad, it was the first time I had really gotten the chance to taste real mean. The mixed meat in a couldn't compare to it. There was more seasoning in it that what I was used to in my meals but that was fine. Watching the cooking show had made me pretty hungry anyway. The blue bits were kind of crunchy but didn't have much taste. I still had no idea what it was supposed to be. If I was ever given a chance, I would need to find a way to learn about all I could about this city. If I was planning on living here, I needed some knowledge on it.

By the time an hour had passed I had finished my food and moved the table out to the side. I'd stitched to watch what was called a home improvement show. I didn't understand half of what the people were talking about but it was interesting to see how each room had changed so drastically. The nurse knocked before opening the door. I noticed that she held a clipboard in her hands as she walked around the bed and took a seat in the chair next to it.

"So tell me, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I worked all day."

"Really? But you aren't a monochrome."

"There was no such thing in Goldsboro. Everyone worked and everyone took care of themselves."

"Oh, well, things are a lot more social here. There is plenty of time for everyone to enjoy their time away from work," She said in an almost too happy tone. "How about you tell me what you would like to be doing?"

I looked down at my lap and thought for a moment. "I would like to learn more about the city. It is so much different than what I'm used to. I also think I might like reading. I've only gotten a chance to read one book and it wasn't a very good one."

"Alright," the nurse said as she wrote on the clipboard. "Is there anything else?"

"I want to be someplace where Hue can be with me too."

"Pet-friendly is a must, got it. How about things that can be done outside of the home?"

"Things like that didn't exist in Goldsboro. Before I left, it became dangerous to be anything more than a worker."

"How dangerous?"

"A lot of people died."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Wasn't there some kind of laws protecting you all?"

"No. The company that employed us was in charge of everything in the city. I thought they had the same reach here too, but I guess not."

"A couple months back Heita wasn't the most interesting place but we have since changed all that. Now it is a city where everyone can enjoy themselves."

She asked me a few more questions about what kind of living environment I had before and would like to have, and then left me alone again. She took the finished food try with her but left the magenta tea. I still hadn't touched it. The color was too offputting. The renovation show was still going on but they had moved on to a new house. I pushed the sheets off of my legs and stood from the bed.

As I stretched, I felt stiffness in my legs. It had been I while since I used them. I walked around the bed to the window. I pushed open the curtains, letting in the bright sunlight. From the window, I could see towering buildings each had large colorful moving signs on them. Some displaying people, other food or drinks, there were ones that were showing off clothing. It was an amazing sight yet also overwhelming. There was so much to know about this city.


	2. Chapter 2

I spent the rest of the day watching TV. I didn't feel much like laying in the bed anymore, so I sat in the chair instead. This way I got a better view of the city too. Dinner was a turkey sandwich with lettuce and cheese. M6-8463 told me what both turkey and cheese were. There was also a small slice of cake with it. I was excited to see a variation of what the people on TV had been making. It turns out that it was like really sweet bread with this thing called icing on it. M6-8463 even brought me a second slice afterward. It was nice.

I had asked her for something to read, watching TV was interesting and all but I didn't have a good understanding of what was in most of the other channels. She told me that the hospital didn't have books, but she was able to get me a magazine instead, which was kind of like a thin book with a lot more pictures. The magazine was mostly filled with products and all the information about them. It was just a printed version of the advertisement, M6-8463 told me what those were, that ran on TV. I preferred them written out in front of me, it was much easier for me to understand them rather than the flashing pictures on the screen.

I spent most of the night gazing out of the window watching the city. I couldn't see much with the towering building surrounded the hospital, but I could see the lights from passing vehicles as the moved through the streets. Heita was so much more lively than Goldsboro. It made me want to go out and explore it. But before I could do any of that I had to get Hue back. I hoped that he was doing alright. He was probably scared without me. I couldn't help but think back to the time he suddenly grew into a giant version of himself. He hasn't done it since and hopefully, he wouldn't do it now.

I had ended up falling asleep on the chair and the doctor, M6-2843, woke me up the next morning. She ran some more test on me. She took blood from my arm, test my hearing and eyesight, along with taking my blood pressure again. Afterward, I had a breakfast of an omelet, which is a fancy egg dish, and bacon, a new type of meat that I haven't tried before. Both were good. There was a glass of yellow juice this time. After tasting it I was surprised to find it didn't have a strong flavor to it. It was a bit sweet but still good. I spent most of the day watching TV. A different nurse from yesterday would check in on my every so often, she even left me a few magazines, one of which was filled with recipes. I didn't know much about cooking, but I hoped that I could try it some time.

At ten o'clock I was giving a new set of clothes to change into. The door to the bathroom was down the short hallway-like walkway that led to the door of the room. The bathroom was larger than the one I used to have. The shower was about twice as large as the one I had and the water actually got hot, not just warm. The towels were soft too. Everything here was so much better than Goldsboro. After my shower, I sat in the chair and watched the news station. There was a woman on today. She was talking about how the weather for the rest of the day would turn out. It would be mostly sunny with a few clouds here and there.

It took a few hours, but eventually, I grew bored of simply watching TV. Standard, I went over to the door of my room and opened it. The hallway was white with walls painted in a light grey. For a moment, I was taken back to the halls of the Uni-Cell office. Thankfully the moment quickly passed. The hallway was lined with doors. The colors alternated between blue, magenta and yellow. There were a few people were dressed as I was walking through the hallway. Most were talking amongst each other. A few greeted me as they passed by.

Being out where there were suddenly so many people had made me second guess myself. I had been around a lot of people before, but that was at work. This felt completely different. Even still, I ventured out of my room and began roaming the halls. There wasn't much to see. It was mostly just more and more doors. Occasionally, there would be a desk area where nurses or doctors would be at. They would ask anyone that passed them if they needed help with anything.

There were so many people here. Some of them looked fine while other had casts and bandages over parts of them. One person I crossed paths with was being pushed in a wheeled chair by a nurse. It seemed like this hospital place was meant more for people who were injured or sick. They must have thought the same of me when I was first brought in. Once they realized that there wasn't anything wrong with me, they should let me leave. No, they wanted me to have a caretaker first.

I soon made it to a hallway that wasn't lined with doors, instead, the walls were made up of large windows that looked out to a courtyard. It was covered with large light blue trees and bushes. Yellow, magenta, and white flowers were spread across the ground. Grey slabs created pathways that cut through the grassy ground. I pushed open a set of glass doors and stepped outside. The air was warm and I could hear the sound of vehicles driving on the roads nearby.

The paving stones were warm under my feet. From out here, I was able to see that the hospital was about five stories tall with many windows lining the outer wall. I followed the path through the courtyard until I reached a paved circle area that had a statue of a woman with large, outstretched wings at its center. Her arms were held up as if she was lifting something into the air, however, her hands were empty. Surrounding the paved circle were five black metal benches.

I sat down at one to enjoy watching the clouds slowly drifted overhead. In the distance, I could hear so many sounds. Rhythmic thumping, a high pitched siren wail, and so many other things that I didn't recognize. Heita had so much more life in it than Goldsboro. This was a step up from sitting inside watching TV for another day.

Movement at my right side caught my attention. There was a person sitting on the bench that was about fifteen feet from mine. They weren't dressed like a patient or a staff member. Perhaps they were someone who was visiting? There were dressed completely in black with a hood pulled over their head. They were looking towards the ground as one of their legs bounced. The movement was rapid as if they were trying to release pent-up nerves. They were rocking themselves on the bench. I stood up and carefully walked over towards them. Now closer, I was able to see that they had their hands clasped together tightly. The black gloves made it hard to determine how hard their grip was.

"Are you okay?" I asked. They stopped moving. I wind blew around us as I waited for them to respond. They never did. At first, I was worried that I had bothered them. Maybe they were going through something and didn't want to be bothered.

Then they stood up. It was a quick and sudden movement that caught me off guard. This person was a bit shorter than I was and continued to look downward, so I wasn't able to see there face. When they did look back up at me, I was met with the face of a multicolored mask and large white teeth. This must have been one of the masked people I had heard about on the news yesterday. They had also said that anyone who interacted with them would go missing. When I took a step back the person in front of me took a step forward.

"Do you want something?" I asked. They didn't answer, only continued to stare at me through their eyeless mask.

I began walking backward away from them. This time the didn't follow me. They let me leave. I made to back to the path and followed it back to the building. I checked behind myself as I went, but they stayed standing, watching me until the trees blocked my view. Once I was back inside, I headed to the nearest nurse's desk and told them what I had seen. The alarm on their faces was less than comforting.

"Already, thank you for telling us. It would be best if you went back to your room now." one of them had said. "I'll notify the security, the rest of you close off the courtyard."

I wasn't sure how to feel as I headed back down the hallway. It was only one person and by the look of it, they didn't have a weapon on them. Why had the nursed been so unnerved by the information? Maybe there was more to those masked people than I had heard on the TV. M6-8463 was standing in front of my door when I got back. She was talking with a man. He had long white hair that looked to be held back by some kind of dark band. The doctor smiled when she saw me approaching. The man turned and looked me over with his steel grey eyes.

"There they are," M6-8463 said. "Sol this is M7-0391. He is interested in becoming your caretaker."

"Hello," I said.

"Good morning." He extended his hand out toward me and I shook it.

"Now if you both will follow me, I can fund a place where you can talk," M6-8463 said happily. I nodded and we followed her down the hall. She led us to a small conference room several doors down. There was a window high on the far wall that allowed sunlight into the room. The man and I both took a seat on opposite sides of the table. Then, to my surprise, the doctor left us alone.

"I was told that there aren't any caretakers where you are from. I guess something like this would be strange for you right?"

I nodded. "Everyone essentially took care of themselves."

"What about in your childhood years? Someone must have cared for you back then, right?"

No one in Goldsboro had ever been a child. We were created to work. "I don't remember that far back in my life."

"Oh, well, hopefully, I can make the remaining part of good."

"Can I ask why you want to be a caretaker?"

"All monochromes want to be caretakers. Having a Zenite in our lives make them much more lively and exciting."

"I don't know if I would call myself exciting."

"I'm not used to much excitement anyway, so we should be fine.

Just so you have a just of what living with my life is currently like; I work the more often than other monochromes do. My days are usually around eight hours for five days a week. Most people only work three to four days a week, but my job requires more than that. "

"Eight hours a day?" I couldn't believe it.

He gave an unsure laugh. "I know it is a lot of time away. My work hours is a strong reason as to why I haven't become a caretaker yet. So I understand if it is a deal breaker."

"No, it isn't anything like that. It's just that back when I was working, I had at least twelve-hour shift. The only time when anyone would have time off was when we were sick."

His eyebrows knitted together. "How did you handle working that much?"

I shrugged. "Everyone did it. It was either work or be homeless."

"Well, you won't have to worry about any of that now."

"Yeah, but work is basically all I know. What an I supposed to do instead?"

"That depends on what you want to do? Is there anything you enjoy doing or want to try?"

"I'm not sure. I never had to change to figure out what I would ever want to do in my free time."

"I'd imagine that Heita is a big step from where you used to lie. You can always take it slow and discover new things at your own pace."

I nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll do that."

"Your doctor told me that you had a pet. May I ask what kind it is? She was not very specific."

"The easiest way to explain it is that he is sort of like a large lizard."

"How large?" I held my hands out in my best guess of how long Hue was, not taking into account his tail length. "Oh, okay. So he's about the size of a cat. I was worried that you were talking about a crocodile or something similar."

"I don't know what that is."

"It is a very large and aggressive reptile that lives in water. Well, that is the less specific description anyway."

"What do most people like me do all day?"

"There are many that tend to party most of the day away. There plenty of clubs around the city that are open night and day. There are also gaming complexes, parks for sports and other outdoor activities. There's so much to do around here that you can try something different every day for months."

"Have you done any of those things?"

"No, Monochromes like me don't really do things like that very often. Never, if we aren't caretakers. Our job is to maintain the less exciting parts of the city while others like you create new ways to enjoy life. It's the balance that runs Heita."

I stretched my arms under the table. "You know a lot about this city, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say that. I know just about as much as anything else. But if you do have any questions, I don't mind answering them."

"That's good because I have a lot of questions."

"Really, like what?"

I blanked. "I- I'll have questions later."

"That's fine. Can I ask you a few questions then?" I nodded. "Why did you leave your home?"

"It got destroyed. I think the doctor called it the shattered city."

"Really, you're from there? What happened?"

I shook my head. "I honestly don't know. Things just started coming apart all of a sudden. I didn't know what would happen to me if I stayed so I left with Hue, my pet."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

I just shrugged to that. I wasn't sure how to feel about Goldsboro being destroyed. It was frightening when it was happening, but otherwise, it was a pretty awful place to love. Especially compared to Heita. In theory, I would have like to live there without Hines or the Overseers. Though, I probably would have been just as lost about what to do with myself as I am her.

"It's fine," I told him. "Goldsboro wasn't the best place to live anyway."

M7-0391 looked as if he was about to speak, but was cut off by a knock at the door. A nurse that I did not recognize opened it. "Sorry to interrupt, but it is about lunch time and Sol needs to rest of for the next visitor."

"Alright," M7-0391 held out his hand to me. "It was good to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too," I told him. We both stood and left the room with the nurse out of the conference room.

"Hopefully we will see each other again," M7-0391 said shortly before leaving.

The nurse led me back to my room where a tray of food was waiting for me. The nurse left me along and I pulled the rolling table over to the chair so I could eat. Lunch was a plate of dark magenta pasta with bright blue vegetable chunks mixed onto it. Despite the odd coloring, the pasta was good. The meal came with a light yellow drink like this morning. I guess since I actually drank all of it last time they decided to give it to me again. I watched more of the cooking station while I ate. The duo was making something called sugar cookies. If it was anything like cake, it was probably good too.

About half an hour after I had finished eating, the nurse from before returned."There is someone else here to see you. Follow me, please."

She led me back to the conference room from before. She had mentioned that I would have another visitor, I guess that meant another person like M7-0391. This time it was a woman. She wore a magenta and yellow dress and short, curly grey hair. She smiled widely upon seeing me. She introduced herself as M2-1689.

"I'm a work as a cashier for a flower shop. I live in a single story home with both a front and backyard. I only work four days a week, but they are only limited to on five hours shifts. I live near the Amerill Mall so we can take frequent trips there. Oh, and I have a rose gold 450 series car with a great stereo system." She went on like that for a while. So had so much energy radiating off of her as she talked. It was a lot to take in.

The more she spoke the more her words seemed to trip over themselves and blend together. Eventually, we sat down at the table, but by this point, I was completely lost. Occasionally I would pick up on what the lady was saying. She mentioned going out regularly, cooking, something called a theme park. She talked about so many things that I had never heard from before. The best I could do was nod along. It was impossible to tell how long we sat there but eventually there was a knock at the door. The nurse stepped in and said that the visit had to come to a closed. When the woman said her goodbyes all I could think of was how grateful I was to have a break. She was fairly nice but I doubted I'd be able to handle living with someone like her.

"How did you like her?" the nurse asked as she led me to my room.

"She was nice," I said, still reeling from being talked at for so long. "She had a lot to talk about."

"Yes, she could be heard from the hallway," the nurse said muttered. "Maybe the next one will be more your preference."

"There are going to be more?"

"Of course. It is an exciting thing when a monochrome becomes a caretaker. But if you have already made your choice, I can tell the doctor and we can get you moved in no time."

"Is the process really that fast?" I asked as we reached my room.

"Yes. Usually, choices are made within two days or so. But since this is new to you, the standard might be different. Of course, you might not want to take too long. They are probably visiting other Zenites as well just in case you don't choose them. So be mindful of that as well."

I had two other visitors before lunchtime. The first was another women. This one was a lawyer, not that I knew what that was, and we talked a bit. She had a much calmer personality and was easier to talk with. The third was a man who worked in construction. He was nice but he made it sound like he lived in a very active part of the city with a lot of noise. I wasn't sure how I would do in a constantly noisy area. Considering that it was clear that I would be pushed to getting a caretaker regardless, I might as well go with someone who didn't have a very active lifestyle.

I told M6-8463 my decision sometime before lunch. She was excited for me. As was the nurse who brought my dinner in. She handed me a slice of cake as a congratulation. Personally, I wasn't sure how to feel. The decision seemed rushed and I had only gotten a chance to meet each of these people once. What if it turned out that I didn't like who I chose, were we both just going to be stuck together anyway? It was clear that I wasn't like the others who had caretakers, Zenites. What if I ended up being a disappointment in comparison? There were so many what-ifs that were not being taken until account. Maybe I was overthinking it all, but it felt like things could go badly at any given point.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning after breakfast, a nurse, one that I haven't met before, handed me the clothes they found me it. Since it was the only clothing they had for me to leave with. The keys from the van had been left in one of the pockets. Apparently, the hospital would tow it over to the apartment I'll be staying at in a few days. I didn't get much sleep overnight. There had been too much on my mind. At the moment, I waited in my room watching out the window. I hadn't bothered trying to watch TV, I wasn't in the mood to do so.

Eventually, a nurse came to take me to the discharge area. For some reason, I had to be wheeled out on one of the rolling chairs. When I asked why she said that it was simply part of the procedure. My jacket sat folded on my lap with both the van and library keys in my pocket as he rolled me through several long stretches of hallway. Somewhere lined with dozens of doors, other only had a few. We soon reached a pair of large glass doors that slide open on their own when we got near them. The discharge desk was in a large room with a high ceiling. A giant glass fixture made of small glass-like pieces made up the lighting. The desk itself was around twenty-five feet long and was solid black. There were four people working at the desk, with each section in front of them separated by clouded glass.

Standing at one of them was the white-haired man from yesterday. The nurse said I could get out of the chair and I followed her over to where he stood. He looked to be writing on some sort of document when we walked up. Noticing us he smiled.

"Alright, now all we need is the signature of the Zenite whom you will be looking after," the person behind the desk said.

M7-0391 moved to the side so I could sign the paper. I felt nervous sighing it. Not only because I had never officially signed anything before, but it just felt so strange to do. The entire concept of having a person whose chose to take care of me was strange. I wasn't sure what to think.

"With that all done, you are officially free to go," the person behind the desk said happily.

"Thanks," I said. I tried to sound happy, or at least less anxious than I felt.

"You're going to love living out in the city, I promise," the nurse said. "I wish you both well."

“Forgive me for asking, but is that all you have with you?" M7-0391 asked as we made our way to the large glass doors that made up the entrance to the building.

"Yes. This is all I had when I left Goldsboro."

"I see. Well, later on, if you feel up to it, we can go out and get you some more clothes."

"Thanks."

"No problem. It is my job to take care of you."

Outside was a was a lot filled with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. The sun was high overhead and the soft breeze felt warm around me. Out here I could hear the sounds of the city much more clearly. It was a bit intimidating. M7-0391's was a sleek black car that had shiny black seats and glowing numbers on the dials in front of him. The car was a lot quieter compared to the van when it started up. M7-0391 pulled out of the lot and onto the busy street. I stared out the window and watched the buildings as the passed. They weren't like the ones in Goldsboro. These had so many flashing signs advertising so many things. It was hard to even understand what each sign was for. The heights of the building also varied. It wasn't a gradual decline like in Goldsboro.

I looked down when an odd sound began coming from the console. "What is that?"

"The song? I'm not sure of the name but the genre is modern jazz."

"This is a song? I've never heard one before."

"They didn't have music in Goldsboro?"

"We didn't have a lot of this city has," I told him. "Goldsboro was a very plain place. If it didn't have a functional purpose that bettered Uni-Cell than it wasn't worth keeping around."

"Uni-Cell?"

"It was the company that controlled the city. It is the reason everyone worked all the time."

"There must have been laws protecting you all?"

"Uni-Cell ran as our government. The company ran every aspect of the city. The only way to be out of their hold was to be homeless and living on the edge of the city."

"I'm sorry that you had to live like that."

"It's fine. That's all over now."

"Well be at your new home soon. I already have a room set up for you. I wasn't sure what kind of decorations you would like, so I left it bare for you to decide."

"All I had at my place was a metal alarm clock," I said thinking back on it. "I'm glad I don't have to hear that sound anymore."

"Now you get to wake up whenever you feel like it."

"What about work? I have to get a job eventually, right?"

"You don't have too. It is your decision whether you want a job or not. Some people like working, so don't."

I nodded and listened to the car's music for a while. I don't know how I would handle having so much free time. Maybe if I could find a job that wasn't as demanding as the one I had, I could handle it. But there were also a lot of things I was new to hear. It could be hard to find a quiet office job.

"Where do you work?" I asked.

"I am an archivist for the city's official records. I help keep track and maintain every book and document from the city's history."

"Is it fun?"

"I wouldn't call it that, no, but it is a nice, calm work environment that gives me the opportunity to learn plenty of new things. With so many people creating different means of entertainment and knowledge around the city, there is always something new coming in each day. I get it help sort them into categories to be placed in the section of the archive they best fit into." He spoke more as if he was reciting from memory rather than who he honestly felt about it. I had only met him once before and didn't know that much about him, it wasn't my place to say anything about it.

"There is the Heita mall. Its the largest mall in the city," M7-0391 said as we neared a large building. It looked to be three stories high. I couldn't tell how much space it took up. "We can stop there and get you new clothes before we head home. That's if you are feeling up to do so."

"I'm fine with that."

"Alright." We crossed over a few lanes of traffic before making the turn into the lot of the building.

"What is a mall?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"It is a building filled with many different stores. Most of them sell either clothes, toys, electronics, appliances, furniture or food. There are also places where people go to get their hair and nails taken care of. Along with stores who take pictures for people."

"What are the pictures for?"

"Decoration, gifts, special events. It depends. Do you want yours taken?"

"No, I'd rather not."

"Okay. Then we'll focus on getting you new clothes and maybe a few other things if you see something you like."

We entered through a set of automatic glass doors that led into a brightly lit walkway. It as between two stores. The one to the left had glass walls. TVs and other large items that I couldn't name were displayed on shelves. The shop to the right was filled with small colorful things in large tubes on the far wall. The shelves were covered in equally colorful boxes with pictures of swirls and smiling faces. There were small people accompanied by average sized people in there. The shop was rather crowded.

"What are they?" I asked M7-0391.

"That's a candy store. Candy is a type of food that can be made from sugar, chocolate, caramel and fruit among other things. There are several types that are a combination of them."

"What are the small people?"

"The- the kids? You've never seen children before?"

"I don't think we had them in Goldsboro. How did they get that small?"

"Everyone starts out like that, smaller actually. Everyone is born as a baby, then grows into a child, then a teenager, then an adult and finally they become elderly. You weren't taught this in school?"

"What's a school?"

He was silent for a moment before answering. "A school is a place where children go to learn the information they need to become an adult."

"Oh."

"You don't remember being a kid?"

"No."

"Can you read and write?"

"Yes," I was almost offended that he had asked.

"You had to have learned that somewhere. You might have gone to school and just not remember it. Either way, we should get you some books to make sure you know the, well, cultural important things."

"Okay," I said quietly.

I followed him through the crowd filled walkway. I was surprised by how many people were around. The mall was loud with so many voices talking over each other all at once. The music play overhead didn't help much either. I think it was music. There was a rhythm to it, but I couldn't pick out much with all the other noise. I kept close to M7-0391 as we weaved through the suffocating crowd until we made it to a clothing shop.

It was far less busy there than in the stores around it. Pants, shorts, shirt, and other bodily clothing hung from racks that stood around the store. Shoes and socks had been placed on shelves on the walls. The shoes looked more detailed than the simple white ones that I had on. The shirts can in many different patterns and style that it was hard to keep up. The pants looked mostly the same for the most part except for the varying sizes and a slight difference in color.

"Look around and if you see anything you like, make sure to try it on to check that it fits," M7-0391 said.

"Okay."

I looked at a rack of pants to start. I found a pair that I thought would look alright on me. I wasn't sure what would fit me so I picked three different sizes. M7-0391 took me to one of the small rooms at the back of the store so that I could try them on. Once I found the fit that worked for me, I got others of the same size. I also got a few simple looking shirts. Ones with one or two colors and a few simple designs on them.

"Is that all you want? You're welcome to get more," M7-0391 said as he looked over my choices.

I had gotten five pairs of pants and seven shirts. That was a little less than what I had back in Goldsboro. I gazed over the store and considered looking back through the racks for something else. Everything just looked okay to me, nothing really stood out. I had only worm my plain grey uniform for my entire life. Wearing something with saturated color, even with the limited number color in this city, was still new. At least at the hospital, the colors on the clothing were muted in comparison to what seemed like everyday life.

"We can look in other stores too if you want to."

"Yeah, let's do that."

After M7-0391 paid for the clothes we headed back out into the bustling crowds. We towards a flight of stairs that appeared to be moving on its own. With so many people pushing forward, I didn't get a chance to hesitate before stepping on. It was a strange experience and I ended up grabbing onto M7-0391's arm.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm fine," I said while letting go of his arm. "I'm just not used to stairs that can move."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm so used to them that I didn't even consider. This is an escalator. As you said, it essentially a moving staircase. Sorry for not telling you. This must be strange."

"It's fine," I said while looking down toward the first floor. "I've seen stranger things than a few moving steps."

"Really? Do you mind telling me about them?"

"Well, it is a little hard to explain."

"If you don't feel comfortable telling me, I understand. We did only meet yesterday after all. We have plenty of time to get to know each other better."

We stepped off the escalator and followed the flow of people down the walkway until we reached another clothing store. This one is larger and had more people inside. It is still less crowded than the other stores. I guess M7-0391 was taking me to ones like these on purpose. I found a few more shirts and pants. The shirts were each a single light color like the ones from the hospital. Per M7-0391 encouragement, I got a few of the same type of shirts. He said that it least this way I had more than just the initial ones I picked.

"I've thought about it and I think that books might not be the best idea," M7-0391 said. He was sitting next to me on a small grey bench while I tried on a pair of black shoes. "Do you know what a phone is?"

"Yes, some of the people in the office used them."

"Did you have a cell phone?"

"A- no. I've never heard of that."

"It is a small phone that can fit inside pockets. We'll need to get you one before we leave here. The reason I brought this up is so that you can use it to learn from instead of getting several stacks of books."

"How much information is stored in those?"

"They are connected to the internet. An infinite amount can be acquired on one. Do you know what the internet it? Or a computer?"

"No and yes. I typed on a computer for my old job."

"What did you do for your work?"

"Nothing but hours of typing. It was all just worthless nonsense it turns out. Just lines and lines of jumbled letters and numbers for no reason."

M7-0391 frowned in confusion. "Do you ever ask why that was?"

"Pointing out something like that would have been dangerous. It was better to just keep quiet and pretend to be content with everything."

"That sounds like you worked under very strict management, but what do you mean by dangerous? You mean people would get fired, right?"

"Something like that, yes."

After buying the clothes and two pairs of shoes, one white and the other grey, M7-0391 took me to a store to get a cellphone. The store was quiet for the most part as customers and workers moved around the floor and talked about some of the things on the walls and glass cases around the store. The cellphone M7-0391 showed me was a relatively small device that had to be interacted with through its touchscreen. I picked out a simple black one that didn't have a design on it. I sat on a nearby bench I with the bags at my feet while M7-0391 worked with the clerk to set up an account for me. I would get my own number assorted with the phone too.

When the wait was finally over, M7-0391 sat down next with me and showed how to work it. The cell phone was an interesting device that didn't take much time to learn about. After the quick introduction, M7-0391 input his 'name' and number into the contacts.

"I put myself down as Ninety-one. It's less formal than my whole name. You are welcome to call me that with you would like."

"Okay, thanks."

"There's no need to thank me."

"Yes, there is. You're giving me a place to live, new clothes and a cell phone. All after you met me only one time. I haven't done anything to earn this."

"You don't have to earn anything of this. Consider these as gifts. Come on, why don't we go find something to eat at the food court."

I followed out of the shop and back into the crowds. The food court turned out to be a collection of small food stores in one concentrated area. There were dozens of table setups around too. Different smells moved through the air. Telling by meals that people were eating alone, I knew I was going to have trouble deciding what to get. So I figured that I'll let 91 decide since he would have a better judgment on what to eat. He chose burgers, which was a type of sandwich. It was simple, with meat, cheese and something called a pickle. It was good, better than what I expected it to be. The bread, or bun, was a yellow color and the meat was a deep magenta, amount black, color. It was strange to look at. The food came with a soda. It was a weird drink that felt like it burned me when I drank it. Ninety-one said that it was carbonated. I had never had a drink with air mixed into it before. It was odd at first, but it didn't taste bad.

"I've never tasted anything like this before," I told Ninety-one.

"Really? What kind of foods did you eat before? I needed to know what to cook."

"I mostly ate eggs and rice."

"Is that it?"

"My life was all about work. Eggs and rice were quick and easy to make. On occasion, I would get sandwiches from the vending machine at work."

"Well, we'll then I'll have to take you out to restaurants so you can get to try new things."

After eating Ninety-one and I did a bit more walking around to see if there was anything else I wanted. We went into a furniture store. Ninety-one wanted me to get decorations for my room. I'd never had any decor before and wasn't sure if I what would even like. I ended up getting a grey metal clock similar to the one I had back in Goldsboro.

"It is getting a bit late, we should get going before traffic gets too bad," Ninety-one said before stopping in front of a storm. "But first, we should get some supplies from her before we leave."

The inside was filled with boxes and bags of supplies for different animals that I had never seen before. We headed toward an area that had a large sign with the word 'reptile' on it. This area had several different sized cages, plastic containers, bedding, and other things. On the fall wall were glass cages with scaled animals inside. Ninety-one looked over a large lizard that was about half the size of Hue.

"Your pet is an iguana correct?" Ninety-one asked. I looked over into the cage at the grey-blue lizard that watched us lazily.

"No, Hue looks different than that."

"Do you know what type of lizard he is?"

"I think he's a dragon, but I don't know for sure. I haven't seen anything else like him before."

"Do you mean he's a bearded dragon?"

"Hue doesn't have a beard."

"That's- no." He gave a short laugh. "That is just what they are called. I believe they have one here."

After a bit of looking, we found a cage labeled 'bearded dragon'. It looked nothing like Hue. It was much smaller than he was too. "No, this one is wrong too."

"Is he perhaps a Komodo dragon?"

"Maybe?"

"What does he eat?"

"When he was small, he ate fish pellets. Now he prefers eating meat."

"How about for now we'll get what you think he'll need and come back for anything else we might need," Ninety-one suggested.

"Okay."

I got two metal bowl and a white plush bed to start with. The beds seemed to be mainly for dogs, but Ninety-one assured me that it would be alright to get one. While in the dog section, I noticed colorful toys that made a high pitched squeak when squeezed. They were called chew toys. I got Hue a round yellow one. Getting him was a bit difficult. I wanted to get something like the fish pellets Hue would eat, but Ninety-one said that lizards shouldn't eat those. He recommended a small creature called a cricket. After seeing one, I refused to let Hue eat those. So instead we settled on a small bag of dog food. Before leaving, I spotted a thing called a harness that Ninety-one said that people used them to take dogs outside on walks. He also mentioned that lizards weren't typically taken on these types in outings, but he was willing to get me on for Hue anyway. I decided on a white one to match his bed. All in all, it was a decent haul to end our short trip on.

When we left the pet supply store we stepped out into an eerily quiet walkway of the mall. The crowds hadn't just depleted, everyone was gone. A faint song played through the air, coupled with the sound of dozens of footsteps. There were people here but they weren't ones who were part of the previous crowd. These were slower, less in a hurry to get somewhere. The nearest set was to our right, they were coming out of the store adjacent to ours. A person dressed completely in black stepped out of the store. A mask of four colors covered their face. They turned and gazed at us.

Ninety-one grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the masked people. He pulled to a flight of stairs, real stairs, down to the first the floor. There were more of them down there. Many more. The moment we reached the last step, they all stopped walking. Each and every one of them stood perfectly still and watched us. Ninety-one pulled me closer to him and we began to weave through the crowd of masked people. Their heads turned, keeping their eyeless masks trailed on us. It was strange, no matter close we got, even when we were less than an arm's length away, they never made a move toward us. Thankfully, none of them were standing in a way that completely blocked our path.

"Don't look at them," Ninety-one said quietly. It didn't matter how softly he spoke, the mall was silent, even the music had gone. The only noise were our echoing footsteps. They sounded like thunder.

"What do they want?"

"I don't know, no one does. Don't touch them and stay quiet for now."

I did what he said and stayed quiet. It was slow going, especially with the bags we had from shopping, but we were almost at an exit. However, we froze when we began hearing rushed footsteps coming towards us. Thankfully, it wasn't any of the masked people. Instead, it was a small group led by a yellow-skinned woman. They were going as slowly as we had been. The panicked and rushing. It was only a matter of time before they ran into the masked people. They tripped over themselves. Some fell to the ground, others were grabbed and swarmed.

"We need to keep moving," Ninety-one said nudging me forward.

I didn't argue. There was nothing we could do for them. The masked people around us were moving now, heading to the commotion and scared screams. Before long we were out the door and running to where the car was parked. Most of the other vehicles were gone and in minutes we were too.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm sorry. Our first outing should not have ended like that," Ninety-one said while he set his phone in the square indent between us. He had just finished telling the authorities about what happened at the mall. They were already on their way.

"It's not your fault they appeared there," I said.

"Yes, but I still would have liked this to be a good experience for you."

"It was for the most part," I assured him. "and we'll get a chance to go out and other things too, won't we?"

"Yes, we will."

We fell silent after that. The car was playing a gentle song, but it wasn't the same as before. It could have been because of the past tension. What had happened was definitely frightening, but less than how it felt to be chased by an enforcer. Or when Goldsboro was falling apart. Maybe it was just a different kind of fear. Maybe I didn't understand how dangerous they were yet. Or maybe I was just tired.

"We're coming up on the apartment."

He pointed out toward a building that had a side that was completely painted in a light magenta. When we neared it, we took a right around the building, I saw that this side was painted in yellow. The apartment building looked to be at least twenty floors high and had some kind of steady blinking light at the top. It was one of the only buildings that weren't covered in flashy screens. M7-0391 drove down a driveway that led to a brightly lit parking garage under the building. After he parked, M7-0391 led me to an elevator that we took two floors up.

"We have to go through the lobby before we can get to the residential floors," M7-0391 said during the short ride.

The lobby was bright and shining with hanging glass light fixtures like the one at the hospital. The walls were decorated in a soft white with eccentric cyan and magenta flowers everywhere. There were plush chairs spread about, encircling dark square tables. A large shiny grey desk was off to the wall on the right where people stood and spoke with the workers behind it. Gentle music played in the air while I followed M7-0391 through the room.

"What are those called?" I asked while pointing up at the lights hanging from the ceiling.

"Those are called chandeliers."

"What type of music is playing?"

"That's a piano. It is a type of large instrument. Do you know what those are?" I shook my head. "They are tools used to make music. There are many different kinds and each one makes a unique sound. A person who plays an instrument is called a musician. When a group of musicians get together and play music it is can be called a band or orchestra, depending on the music and what is being played."

We made it at another, larger elevator. The inside was painted a soft cyan color and lined with a grey metal. The floor was covered in a black and grey swirling carpet. A different piano song was playing inside it. We stood near the back as we rode the elevator up with a small group of other people. I followed M7-0391 off on the sixteenth floor. He led me down a yellow and white hallway that was covered with a white and deep yellow carpet that looked to have large flowers within its pattern. We passed several doors before stopping at one with the metal numbers 1694 on it.

"This is our home," M7-0391 said as he unlocked the door.

When the door opened he turned on the lights and let me walk in first. The room was large, at least twice as big as my old home. The walls were painted a light grey and there were round lights within the ceiling. There was a large grey chair that sat near the middle of the floor. It was longer than a regular chair by about four times. It sat in front of a sleek black table and beyond a much larger version if the TV that was in my room at the hospital.

On the opposite wall from the door was a kitchen area that was several times the size of my old one. There were appliances on the counter that I had seen in a magazine. One was called a blender and another a microwave. The refrigerator was a shiny grey and had two doors split between the front. The back part of the room was elevated upward by two steps. There was a glass section with a door. It led to some sort of outside area that overlooked the city. To the left of it were two other doors and on other on the right.

M7-0391 took me over to one of the rooms on the left and opened it to reveal a room with a large bed in it. The walls were white and a nice gray carpet covered the floor. The comforter on the bed and a yellow and soft magenta flower pattern on it. There was a black side table by the bed with a lamp on it. On the other end of the room was a desk with an odd looking screen on it. It looked to be a mix of a TV and the bulky computer I had at Uni-Cell. In the middle of the far wall was a window with black curtains on either side.

"This is your room," M7-0391 said.

"Thank you." I walked to the bed and touched the pillows that sat on it. There were three of them. They were all puffy and soft.

"I'm glad you like it. I'll leave you to relax and get settled in. Tell me if you need anything."

I set my folded jacket on the desk and the bags from the mall on the floor. I went over to the window. I could the lights of cars and street lights below. An uncountable number of people were walking on the sidewalks. Sirens and car horns could be heard through the sound strong winds. I closed the curtains and kicked off my shoes before laying down on the bed. Today involved much more exciting than I thought it would. But at least I was someplace where I could rest.

After I had been laying there for a while, Ninety-one came in and took the clothes that were in the bags. He said that they needed to be washed before I could wear them. When he left I got up and took out the cell phone and clock from the bags. I place the clock on my bed but didn't set an alarm for it. It felt more like my own room with the clock.

Taking the phone, I went through it a bit to try and get used to it. Ninety-one said that cell phones were a common part of life here, so I needed to be efficient in using one. There wasn't much on it so it was simple to start. At the shop, Ninety-one had shown me how to download applications from the phone's built-in store. He had already installed local news and dictionary applications. I tapped on the one for the news. The first thing that came up was a report about a large group of masked people at a mall. The mall had been closed off with dozens of those masked people still inside. There have yet to be any plans made to deal with them.

It was interesting no one was willing to go anywhere near these people with the masks and yet they no nothing about them. Yes, that were incredibly off-putting, especially in large numbers, but they still looked like people. Maybe I was just comparing them to enforcers, or I just didn't understand. But I couldn't help but wonder how far these people were willing to go to avoid this group. Its different than Goldsboro, the people being harassed and bothered weren't the outliers.

I exited out of the news application and re-entered a new one, a search engine as Ninety-one called it. With it, I could look up anything I wanted and find out just as much. There wasn't much found out the masked group. Only the dates and locations the appeared at. The most I could find were that the sightings had started up a little over a month ago. I set the cell phone down next to me. There wasn't anything to be learned about the masked group. I wondered how all of that started.

There was a knock at the door before Ninety-one opened the door and stepped in. "I think your pet is here."

I got off the bed and followed him out of the room. A plastic, magenta box-like container had been left by the door. There was a thud as it jolted to the side. I circled around to one end where the side was metal and grated. A small clawed hand gripped the bars.

"Hue?" I moved closer and crouched next to the small cage. Sure enough, he was in there staring at me with his grey eyes. He made a happy chirping sound at me. I released the latch on the door, freeing him from the small cage. He flew out and landed on my back. He nuzzled his head into the back of mine. "It's good to see you too."

"When you said he was a dragon, you meant an actual dragon." Ninety-one stepped towards us but slowed when Hue turned and stared at him. He shifted to crouch on my head as Ninety-one grew closer. He held out his hand to Hue, who smelled it curiously. "Where did you get him?"

"I bought him at a pet store back in Goldsboro."

"Is he a common type of pet?"

"No, pets weren't common there. I don't know if there is another one like him."

"Amazing." Ninety-one reached out to pet Hue, but he flew away and hovered above us. "He can fly too."

Hue stared down Ninety-one down for a moment before flying off to explore the apartment. I noticed that the colors on his back weren't the same as before. There was now a cyan section above the blue one and a magenta one between the purple and red sections. I don't know that he was still able to gain colors outside of Goldsboro. How many colors were there anyway? I guess it didn't matter this city only had the five. Though I wasn't sure if black and white would count as colors or just extreme shades of grey.

Ninety-one watched Hue while I went to my room and retrieved the chew toy. After returning, I squeaked it. Hue turned and looked at me. I squeezed it again and he flew over to me. He made sure to stay close to the ceiling to avoid Ninety-one. I squeaked the toy a third time and held it out to Hue. He sniffed it before taking it in his mouth. He happily gnawed on it while hovering in the air. He curled in on himself so that he could use his back legs to kick at the toy.

I got a closer look at the newest colors on his back. The cyan on nearly matched my skin tone, his scales had more saturation than my skin. The magenta section was equally vibrant. I wonder what he got to in order to get these colors.

"How does he stay in the air like that?" Ninety-one asked.

"I'm not sure, he just does it." I took Hue from his spot in the air and held him. I felt his weight as he relaxed in my arms.

"I have to say he isn't what I was expecting, but thankfully he's a manageable size. You should let him get used to your room. Give him a place that he'll feel comfortable in."

Back in my room, I showed Hue his new bed and put the harness on him. While he struggled to find a way to get it back off, I used the cell phone to look up what exactly a dragon was by definition. According to the site, a dragon was a mythical serpent-like creature that had various descriptions depending on where the tales involving them originated. Of what I was shown, most could fly, sometimes they had wings, and lived among the clouds. Others were found in seas and great rivers. And there were even legends of some that lived in the stars. Each type had some sort of power or ability associated with its type.

What type of dragon was Hue? What kind of abilities did he possess? He could grow larger and absorb colors, but that was about it. That hardly compared to the dragons of legend that could breathe fire, cause storms and make tornadoes with their wings. However, they were just stories, those dragons were only myths. Hue was real, but he was hardly a deadly force of nature. Maybe in his larger form, but his usual small self was a bit more contained. He had just been subdued in a cage, after all.

I set the cell phone down and went over to one of the two remaining bags on the floor. I pulled out the white bed and set it on the desk next to the screen. Hue was still trying to get the harness off of himself when I lifted up from the floor and placed him on his new bed. He pawed at the bed for a short moment before back to trying to free himself.

After a bit, Ninety-one came back with the clothes we bought from the mall. He hung them up on my closet and afterward he taught me how to use the screen on my desk. It was a computer like I had guessed and worked pretty similar to the cell phone except for it not being able to make calls. Well, technically it could but in a video format. I didn't have anyone else to talk with so there wasn't much point in learning that. After a while, Ninety-one left Hue and me, saying to call him if we needed anything.

I pulled up a webpage, as Ninety-one called it, and searched 'Goldsboro'. The first thing that came up was a report about 'The Shattered City'. From it, I read that one day, while weather researchers were examining the skies, they got an abnormal reading on their equipment. After some investigation, they discovered the broken state that Goldsboro was in. Any and all investigations of the city had been entirely off sight. There was an underlying worry that whatever had caused the even could still be in progress, though undetectable. As a result, essentially nothing was learned about what had happened.

Was there any way to explain what happened in Goldsboro from an outside perspective? I was there and I don’t even fully understand how or why the city was destroyed the way it was. The only explanation was that the energy attached to the colors that had released back into the city all at once caused it to crumble. That didn’t explain why Heita looked the way it did. I had been under the impression that Hines, and by extension Uni-Cell had an absolute hold on nearly every city in the country. Heita was hardly anything like Goldsboro which was bland and work-centric.

I attempted to research any history on Heita, but nothing really came up. At best, I could find a few news articles from at max three months back. This was well before what happened at Goldsboro began. I could probably as Ninety-one about it, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without coming off as weird and intrusive. Maybe after a few days, it wouldn’t be too strange to ask about his life in such a way. In the meantime, I’ll focus on getting used to living here for now. So far, I don’t think it will be too bad.

After a few hours, Ninety-one told me that he would be making dinner and wanted to know if I had any food allergies. I wasn’t aware that people could be allergic to food in the first place. He ended up cooking a meat called chicken along with a pasta called spaghetti. I offered to help and he accepted. It was the first time I cooked something that wasn’t just rice and eggs. It was a bit more intricate than I would have imagined. There were seasonings to be added and Ninety-one used an oven, which I had never seen before.

Once the food was ready, I helped Ninety-one set up plates and utensils on the table outside of the kitchen. We had just begun eating when Hue decided that he wanted to investigate the smell. He hovered at my side as he smelled at my plate.

“I already gave you your dinner, you can’t eat mine,” I told him as I pushed him back. He flew around my hand and managed to grab a chunk of chicken before flying up to the ceiling to were he was out of reach. I just looked up at him.

After dinner and helping Ninety-one clean up, I took a shower and dressed in the new sleep clothes that we got earlier today. Apparently, they were called pajamas. They were comfortable and loose. The fabric felt better compared to the ones I had back in Goldsboro. Ninety-one wished me a good night, which was something that people did for some reason, and I returned the sentiment, albeit a bit awkwardly before we both settled into our rooms for the night.

I set Hue on his new bed before getting into my own. The bed was comfortable and warm. The sheets weren’t scratchy like the ones I used to have. With the lights off, I could see the faint glow of the city lights shining through the dark curtains. Listening, I could hear the sounds of cars and other live goings on outside. Everything about Heita was preferable compared to Goldsboro. Sure, this place had the people in masks but they weren’t nearly as bad as the enforcers were. Hopefully, whatever group the masked people were a part of would be taken care of and things would get resolved soon.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I woke up to the smell of food and Hue standing on my head, trying to get my attention. Groaning, I waved him away from hair and got out of bed. I filled Hue's bowl with food. This time when I left to eat, I closed the door behind me. The last thing I wanted was for him to get into the habit of stealing my food. Or anyone else's. Ninety-one was already setting up the dinner with plates of food when I walked in. He was dressed in a grey button-up shirt and black pants.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," I said back. We set down and ate pancakes. I remembered seeing people make them on the cooking show back at the hospital.

"I have to head off to work soon and I'll be gone most of the day. There is plenty of food in the fridge. If you want to go out and explore the city, there is a map application on your phone that you can use it to find your way around. But if your not comfortable going on your own, I can show you around in a few days."

"I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do today."

"Well, you're welcome to stay here if you want, as well. Do whatever makes you comfortable."

I remember him saying that most people like me do all sorts of different things during the day, but none of that really sounded like something I was ready to get into today. Before leaving for work, Ninety-one gave me a plastic rectangle called a credit card. He said that I can use it to pay for things if I decided to go out anytime today. The only conditions were that I don't lose it or spend too much and that if I did go out, I had to be back before it got dark. He also gave me a key to the apartment before leaving for work. Once he had gone, I headed back into my room and let Hue out. He flew out into the living room while I unfolded my old jacket and took the key from it.

I took it to the bathroom door and used it there. A white line split down the middle of the door before both sides slid out into the walls. A large, hexagonal white room stood in front of me. The walls were lined with tall black bookcases. The ceiling rounded up into a dome that displayed a colorful starry sky that never reflected the one outside. To the left of me was a bookcase filled with boxes and cans of food and other necessities that I took from Goldsboro. I had hardly put a dent in what I had taken. At the time I was planning for the worst.

I sat in one of the six chairs that were placed around the rounded table. I touched the screen and the map of the nearby area of the country. The seven circle icon that marked Goldsboro's location. Heita was now also marked on the map. It was marked with four tilted squares. Their positions making a larger tilted square. The topmost one was black. The two underneath were cyan to the left and magenta to the right. The bottom segment was yellow.

I tapped the icon and the map zoomed in on the city. Next, I touched the information icon. A grey rectangle appeared accompanied by text. It gave basic information about the city, like how it was only limited to a select few colors and the relationship between Zenites and Monochromes. It was equally as vague as to why that relationship existed in the first place, and why it was so sought after. Unfortunately, it said nothing regarding the group of masked people.

I looked when Hue flew into the library. He was holding my cell phone in his clawed hands. He set the phone on the table. The map disappeared as the screen of phone lit up. The word 'connecting...' appeared on the smaller screen. I watched, waiting until the text changed to 'connection complete' showed up. The map on the table returned as the similar, smaller version of it appeared on the phone screen. Symbols, city names, and all.

"How did you know it could do that?" I asked Hue. He landed at the center of the table and stretched.

The interface for the phone was a bit different than the one for the table. This time when I touched a symbol, the city's information took up the entire screen. There was also an additional sidebar that told me about recent events within the city. The one for Goldsboro mentioned its destruction, while the one for Heita had a report about one of the masked people appearing at a private business that was forced to close for the day. Four employees had gone missing.

I took the cell phone from the table and left the library with Hue. I closed the door behind me and pocketed the key. It would be difficult to explain to Ninety-one about the library. We went into the living room and sat on the couch. I used the remote, which was a bit more complex than the one at the hospital, to watch TV. Ninety-one had many more stations compared to the hospital.

Regardless, it was still difficult to find something suitable to watch. I wanted to try learning new things by watching different shows. With the cell phone, I could now look up whichever terms I didn't know. But finding something I could at least halfway followed enough to know what to look up was hard as well. I ended up settling on a show at random and decided to just see where it went.

It took a good four hours for me to become bored. I wandered around the apartment for a few minutes, while still vaguely listening to the TV, before eventually ending up in my room and fiddling with my clock. By this point, I was greatly considering going outside. How bad could it be? I went out in Goldsboro when there was a threat of an enforcer catching me, and they were much worse compared to these masked people.

I got up and gathered the credit card, the apartment key, and the cell phone into my pants pockets. I pulled on my jacket and strapped Hue into his harness. As I headed for the door, Hue wiggled himself between my jacket and my shirt. There he stayed, clutched onto my back. It was a bit nerve racking traveling down the elevator and out of the building on my own. Ninety-one had already programmed the home location into the phone, so if I did happen to get lost, I could find my way back.

The streets were crowded outside if the building. It was sort of intimidating, but I made myself step out into the sidewalk and get carried off by the flow of people. It was noisy from everyone talking amongst and over each other. Everyone was dressing in wild clothing, both in style and color. I couldn't help but feel plain in comparison.

I slipped out of the crowd and into a small store. The building was split into two different sections. On one side was a regular bookstore on the other was what I believe was called a cafe on the other. I went to the book section. I had heard that reading was a fairly common hobby and one that I could possibly get into. I browsed the shelves for a bit before seeing a book that was similar to the one I got back in Goldsboro.

The title was ‘Living your Best Life’. It had a soft yellow background with alternating cyan and magenta text. This one had a much more uplifting message about teaching people. It mostly mentioned how to find enjoyment and satisfaction in everyday life. It even provided suggestions and examples for what to do on those days when a person falls into a slump, as they called it. One suggestion stated that if someone was having trouble figuring out what to do, the should test out whatever different ideas that come to mind. It book seemed really cheap, only 2.65. I wasn't sure what currency it was in but it was showing the first and second decimal places, so it couldn't have been that expensive.

I tucked the book under my arm and continued to look through the shelves. By the time I decided to leave I had also picked up two other books. One was a collection of stories based on fairy tales, and the other was a how-to basic survival guide. I had to look that word up. The woman at the check out gave me a white plastic bag to carry my books out with me. I went to the cafe section of the store and order something called a milkshake. I had seen one on the TV and figured getting a small on to try wouldn't hurt. I was following the advice of the book after all.

A milkshake was a cold drink. Far colder than just a soda or ice water. And apparently, if a person drank it too fast they would get a brain freeze. A glorified headache. However, the milkshake wasn't bad. I got a plain vanilla one. The menu had a slew of different flavors that could be mixed together, but that seemed like a lot to take in at one time.

I sat at a small table in the front corner of the cafe. I watched a people passed in front of the large windows that made up the front of the building. Hue had slipped out from under my jacket to sit in my lap. Ninety-one had been fine with Hue but wasn’t certain that others would be nearly as calm about him. It was better to be safe and keep him hidden the best I could.

It was fascinating to see so many different types of people pass by this singular building. They were dressing so diversely ye blended together in a brightly colored mass. Even their hairstyles varied. Som had theirs short, others had theirs long, and there were those who had their styles in ways I didn’t even know was possible for hair to be in. This city was so strange in comparison to Goldsboro.

After finishing the milkshake, I headed back out into the city. I was looking for another interesting place to stop at when I felt Hue free himself from under my jacket. He flew out down an alleyway. The leash kept him from getting too far ahead as he led me down the darkening path. The shadows of the buildings on either side of us turned the bright, cheerful day into a dark and damp scene. The once vibrant colors became dark and muted. It reminded me of the last few days of Goldsboro.

Hue stopped at an intersection of a third building. Peeking around the corner, I saw a dead end that was filled with trash cans. Amongst them was a person wearing solid black clothing and a multi-colored mask. They were kneeled over someone, hand on their neck. Their mouth was open in a silent scream. A dark blackness was bubbling up from their mouth. It moved down their neck and over their body. The blackness had nearly covered the person’s entire body when the one above them released their neck and stood up.

I grabbed Hue and began moving backward, away from the scene when my foot hit against something on the ground. It had been sent clattering down the alleyway. I didn’t bother to glance back as I sprinted down the alley. Wither they had seen me or not, I was getting away from them. I could hear their footsteps coming up behind me. They were getting closer, but so was the exit to the street. My shoulder clipped against the edge of the building as stepped onto the busy sidewalk. I stumbled over my feet and almost collided with someone passing by.

The masked person chasing me lunged out from the alley, grabbed onto the mam nearest to them. Once the crowd saw them, they began to scatter The masked person gripped onto the man’s neck as the fell back into the street. He attempted to free himself but then the truck came. 

I shut my eyes. With my arms around Hue, I was forced to listen to the screech of the tires and the inevitable crash that followed. When I looked up again a bright magenta smear covered the asphalt. A deep black, like a void in the ground, was mixed into it. I didn't look to see if either of them had survived. Instead, it kept my eyes down to the sidewalk to make my way back to the apartment.

Laying on the ground a couple of paces was a colorful mask. There was hardly anyone near me. Those who were still standing near were focusing on the accident. I hid Hue under the back part my jacket and picked up the mask put it in between the two books in my bag. The path back to the apartment was a simple and straight shot. I was back to the building in no time. Once back in my room, I closed the door and took off my jacket. Hue flew around with the harness still attached to him while I reopened the bedroom door using the white key.

After pulling out the mask, I set down the bag of books on the floor next to me. Considering what it had been through, the mask was relatively unscathed. There were only a few scratches near the edges. The inner side was completely white, save for a small symbol near the forehead. It was the same four squared symbol that was above Heita on the map. The symbol had a splintering crack cutting through it.

I turned the mask around and looked over its eyeless face. The white fangs on the mask extended out a bit, but other than that there wasn't much to it. It was like it was intimidating or anything. As far as I could tell it was just a normal mask. I considered putting it on my face but decided against it for now. It had just come from someone who had just been hit by a rather large delivery truck.

Maybe there would be something about the accident on TV. I wanted to believe that the person that had been pushed into the street made it out okay, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. That impact did not look survivable. Either way, I was curious to see what would happen with the accident.

Should I tell Ninety-one about what I saw? There was no reason not to. He had said that it was okay for me to go out on my own. The trip had been perfectly fine until Hue led me down that alley. had

"Why'd you take me over there?" I asked him. He glanced over from where he was laid out on the table. He looked to he looked fairly relaxed.

Did he do it on purpose or was he just being curious? What about the thing with the phone? That had to be more than just curiosity. It was frustrating not being able to question him about this. It was the same back in Goldsboro. Sometimes it seemed like he did things deliberately and with a purpose. Yet there were other times where he just seemed like he was just as lost as I was. It wasn't as if I had a serious problem with it. Some consistency would be nice is all.

"So what am I supposed to do with this?" I asked Hue sarcastically.

I set the mask on the table before standing and leaving the library. Hue followed me out and I closed the door behind me. I sat in the library and watched TV, waiting for the news station to report on what happened earlier. It was bound to happen eventually. So far, I haven't heard anything about one of the masked people getting involved in any traffic accidents. There wasn't much of anything for a few hours.

I ended up getting my books out of the library and reading them on the couch. I had turned the volume on the TV on low, just in case something came up while I was reading. I started out with the how-to survival guide. It gave tips that ranged from camping to first aid, to self-defense. The latter would have been useful a while ago. But I suppose touching them wouldn't be a good idea either.

Ninety-one returned just before the sun began to set. Over dinner, I told him about what happened when I went out with Hue earlier. I excluded the part about finding the masked person, and me being the reason they and the person they grabbed go hit by the truck. He was happy that I had felt comfortable enough to go out on my own, but I was too distracted. Whatever happened to the other person in the alley? Were they being turned into a masked person as well? Did that mean it was more than just a group of people who were acting strange? All of this felt like a lot to deal with in just one day.

“Are you feeling alright?” Ninety-one asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“I understand if what you witnessed today is bothering you. You are welcome to talk to me about it if it’ll make you feel better,” he offered. “It doesn’t have to be now. We can discuss it anytime.”

“I- no, I probably just need a nap or something.”

“In that case, you should go get some rest. There is plenty of time to go out and see the city tomorrow and anytime after.”


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning, Sol. How are you feeling?" Ninety-one asked when I stepped out of my room. He was standing at the stovetop already cooking breakfast.

"I'm alright." I honestly didn't sleep much last night, instead, I spent most of the night reading my fairytale book. It helped take my mind off of what happened yesterday.

"That's good. Come and sit down. I have breakfast almost ready." He'd cooked something called an omelet. It had cheese and bits of meat mixed in with it.

"Thanks, this is good," I told him.

"I'm glad you like it. Before, I didn't have much opportunity to cook like this. Now with you here, I have the motivation to do so."

"You didn't cook like this before?"

"I did at times but it was rare. It was only for me, so it wouldn't matter what I cooked."

"Do you like cooking?"

"Yes. I especially like trying out new recipes. Monochromes who aren’t caretakers typically don’t get a chance to explore different types of hobbies and such. Especially, not someone with a work schedule like mine. Unfortunately, my schedule isn’t likely to change anytime soon, but there are still plenty of things we can do together. Maybe we can even try out something more complex than breakfast meals together?"

"Sure that sounds good to me," I agreed. “I would like to be able to cook more than just eggs and rice.”

“So, are you planning on going out today too?”

“Yes, but I'm not sure where yet. I'm just going to see where I find myself.”

“Well, if you need me don't hesitate to call, okay?”

“Okay.”

After Ninety-one had left for work, I headed back out into the city. I had decided last night that I wouldn't let what happened yesterday keep me from going around the city. By the looks of it, the issue with the masked people wasn't going away anytime soon and wasn't going to spend all my time stuck inside. This was my home now and I had to get used to how things were.

There was a small shop a short walk from the apartment. There I bought a flick knife. The basic survival book said that they were good for self-defense, even for beginners like me. I also got a small backpack for Hue to ride in. It was preferable than having him hid under my jacket, and admittedly, less strange looking. I chose a simple black one that also happened to be the cheapest.

My second stop on today's outing was a small club. It was one of the smallest in the area, so I figured it would be a good place to start. Heita was filled with similar places, so I wanted to get used to the atmosphere of one.

The building was pretty small, about the size of the bookstore I visited yesterday. There was a bar on the far wall and a flashing dancefloor at the center. Tables were set around near the walls. The lighting was dim, with colored spotlights shining down on the tables, bar, and dance area. The music that was playing was loud enough to be felt through every object in the building. From what I've seen on TV, it was typical club music, nothing special.

I sat at a small booth near a corner. I had set the backpack next to me and allowed Hue to come out and sit on my lap. With the harness, I at least didn't have to worry about him wandering off. When the waiter came over I ordered a simple chicken plate that was supposed to be spicy, I wasn't entirely sure what that flavor was but cheap and wanted to try it, and a fruit drink that had something called alcohol in it. I had heard that alcohol was common in many drinks and it wouldn't hurt to try it. I also ordered a glass of what just in case I didn't like it.

I had seen dancing on TV yesterday, it was just as strange seeing it first hand. I didn't understand why people wanted to bounce around and move like that. Although, everyone looked like they were having fun. It was curious to see that none of the one dancing were Monochromes like Ninety-one. The few that were there were working as the staff. It was odd but that was just how this place was.

Once my food and drinks arrived, I tasted the drink with alcohol first. The glass was maybe half the size of the ice water. The liquid inside was s bright yellow on the top that faded into clear at the bottom. A thin black straw was stuck in between the chunks of ice. It was not what I was expecting. The fruity taste wasn't bad, but the aftertaste was awful. I had never tasted anything like it before and was grateful for it.

How could people drink stuff like that so easily? I took another sip, hoping that it would go down easier the second time. It did not. The taste was just as bad if not worse. The smell of it didn't help its appeal either. Regardless, I kept drinking it, though only in small sips. I suppose I was hoping to eventually figure out why people were so interested in it.

The small chicken bits were much easier to take in. They tasted great even after the spiciness hit me. I had to take it slow with them to avoid overwhelming myself, but otherwise, it was good. I let Hue try a piece of one, but after smelling it he decided he didn't want it anymore.

As time went on, I eventually finished my alcoholic drink. I didn't request it, but the waiter brought me a new one. I had gotten used to the bad taste by now and had more or less warmed up to it. Or maybe that was it was just the weird feeling in my head. My body felt lighter than usual and the music didn't seem as loud. I watched the crowd of dancing people and almost wanted to join myself. I didn't know how to dance. Hue jumped out onto the seat next to me, as I reached in my backpack to find my phone. I had forgotten that it was in my pocket. In the bag was the mask from yesterday. I wasn't sure why I had brought it with me, I had simply felt like it.

Standing so his hand were on the table, Hue began drinking from my glass of water. The tiny napkin it sat on was soaked with the water that rolled off the sides of the glass. I had honestly forgotten it was even there. I held onto the glass, making sure Hue didn't end up knocking it over while he stuck his face into the water. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as he crunched on a piece of ice.

I was midway through my third drink when Hue final reached a point where he couldn't reach the water's level anymore. The waiter hadn't seemed to notice, or minded, Hue halfway on the table. Maybe it was due to the low light. My corner was rather dark, and his eyes probably had trouble adjusting from the brighter area of the bar. Maybe that was why I didn't notice the person sitting across from me until my eyes caught the bright colors of their mask.

I wasn't scared as I should have been. I was surprised to see someone just suddenly in front of me either. All I did was look back at them as they watched me. The music seemed further away now. I stared at the teeth on the person's mask and couldn't help but wonder why they were there. My eyes drifted further up to where their eyes should be.

"How do you see?" I asked.

I wasn't sure if I could be heard over the music or not. Regardless, I didn't need to say it again. The person's black glove covered finger pointed to a spot on the center of their forehead. Reaching passed Hue, who was stiffly watching the person in front of us, I pulled out the mask from the backpack. Reaching over the masked person pointed to the cracked symbol on the inner forehead of the mask.

I stared at it but couldn't understand what they meant. People couldn't see out of their foreheads. I looked up to ask them again, but they weren't sitting in front of me anymore. Now they were standing at my side. They grabbed the face of the mask and pushed onto mine. The held the back of my head, forcing me to wear it.

Everything went dark as they release their grip on me. I could feel the mask molding itself to fit my face. It secured itself in place and for a moment my buzzing mind was beginning to panic. Then the world came back into sight. Everything was still black, but now it was all outline with white lines. The people on the dance floor now looked like distorted shapes and lines that mixed together in confusing movements. I could hardly tell they were people. Hue was the same. He was now merely a white outline of himself. There were no signs of his colors.

The only one who didn't look like that was the masked person standing over me. Their entire body looked like a deep inky blackness that was far darker than the darkness surrounding us. It was as if all light refused to touch them. The only exception were the colors on their mask were far brighter than before. They were practically glowing. Looking down at my hands, I saw that they were no longer a pale blue, but now a deep empty blackness. I looked the same as they did. Was this really how they saw things? How did this even work?

The person turned and began walking towards the dancing crowd. Everyone was too distracted to notice. I pulled the mask off of my face moments before panicking shout overtook the music. The masked person had grabbed one of the dancers and was forcing them to the ground. The crowd fled from the club as I stood from the booth. I set Hue back in the backpack, before putting it on and taking the mask from the table.

When I stood up, I was unable to keep my balance. I didn't know if it was an effect of wearing the mask or the drinks I had. Regardless, I found my footing and made my way to the masked person. The building was practically empty as the last of the occupants fled outside. By the time I stumbled over to the dance floor, the masked person had already pinned the other person down and blackness was covering their face and body. There was nothing I could do as their body became completely covered. Bright colors covered their face, creating a mask.

The first masked person released them, allowing the second taller one to stand as well. The out of place music continued as the two looked around. We were the only ones left. The shorter one turned toward me. They pointed towards the mask in my hand and then taps a finger on their own mask. I looked down at the mask in my hands and before putting it on.

Through the blacked out world of the mask, I watched as the other two began making their way through the exit. I clumsily followed them. The outside looked different than it did inside the club. The buildings were now towering masses of solid cyan, magenta or yellow. They no longer looked like buildings, but rather simple solid blocks. The sky was pitch, with white grid-lines streaking over it. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars.

On the ground, all the people and cars were black with white outlines. In fact, everything that wasn’t a building or us looked like that. I watched as the outlined people stare at us from across the street. The ones closer to us had fled further down the street, desperate to get away from us. The two I stood with paid them no attention as they walked down the sidewalk. Maybe it was because of the strange state my mind but I decided to continue following them. This was a great opportunity to see what these people were up to.

With everyone too afraid to come anywhere near us, we were allowed to freely walk wherever we wanted. Through the middle of the street included. The shorter of the two led us off the sidewalk. I stood back hesitantly, as the other two stepped out into the intersection. Cars skidded to a stop. I was surprised at how willing everyone was to not hit us. They, and by extension I, were a serious problem for the city. As far as everyone knew, we were abducting people. By all technicality we had. Why did the drivers care if they hit us or not? With the mask on I couldn't see their faces to get a judge on their reasoning. Maybe they just didn't want to damage their cars.

When we'd finally made it across the road, the shorter of one led us down an alleyway. A tall yellow block in place of a building blocked off the other side. Normally the shadow of the buildings would block the light, but with all the structures around us glowing, we had no problem seeing the white outline of the three people at the end of it. From what I could make out, they were sitting on the ground amongst some rounded lumps, which I assume were trash bags.

I followed the other two part ways into the alley before stopping and pulling up my mask. No one from the street was bothering to see what we were doing. Too much of a risk for themselves. Just as I had thought, the alley was dark, the back section was difficult to make out without focusing. Three tiny deep pink lights were glowing in the darkness. Rising from them were thin wisps of smoke. There was a strange smell filling the air that became stronger further down the alley. Hue sneezed from his place on my back. The smell was also making my nose itch. The smell was sweet but also remind me of a damp towel that been left out too long.

My attention was drawn back to the end of the alley when panicked shouts erupted. They sounded confused and uneven. As if the person screaming didn't fully know how to do so. The smoke was making my already muddled mind even worse. I tried to think through it. I shouldn't be following these people around, helping them force others to become something like themselves. I needed to go back to the apartment. I was better off there.

Hue sturred in the backpack as Someone came running toward me. They were stumbling, hardly able to catch their footing. They glance back tripping over themselves and slamming their shoulder into a dumpster as the passed. When the caught sight of me, the tried to stop themselves, falling forward onto me in the process. I had managed to catch them before they sent us both to the ground.

They hung onto me as the steadied themselves. This close, I could see that they had yellow toned skin. Their hair was cut very short and they reeked of the bad smokey smell. The practically pulled me into them as the stood on their own weight. When they looked up at me they stared confused at me and then the mask that was still partially on my head. Before I could register the fear in their eyes, they were suddenly pulled away from me. There were no four people with the masks now. Two of them were holding down the dazed person, turning them into one as well.

I didn't want any more of this. Stepping away, I began heading back toward where we had come. I'd find something better to do with my time. I headed back to the entrance of the alley but realized that the others were following me.

“Go away,” I told them. None of them responded.

The only one that moved was the now changed the fifth one as they stood from the ground. They stood together motionless, all of them facing towards me. It was unsettling, to say the least. Reaching out to one of them, I considered trying to take off their mask but ended up stopping. What if touching them made me turn into one of them. It was better to avoid the risk. I took off my mask and headed out onto the street.

Without it, the others passed by me. I guess without the mask they didn’t see me as one of them anymore. But they also didn’t try to change me either. With one of them taking the lead, the five of the left the alley, with only the shortest one passing a glance back at me. They reached out, taking the mask from my hands and pushing back on my face. This wasn’t going to that easy, then. I’m going to have to find a way to lose track of them. But I would have to do it in a way that wouldn’t put anyone else at risk.

The shorter person released my mask and I was once again looking through the darkened world. I tried hanging back to see if they would simply go on without me, but the shorter one noticed and stopped. The others stopped with them and stayed until I joined them. They were determined to keep together. If I was going to be stuck with them, I might as well go back to my original plan to learn more about them. Though, I’d rather find a way to get away from them first.


	7. Chapter 7

It has been three hours since I got myself stuck with this group of masked people. A majority of that time has been spent wandering around the city at a listlessly slow pace. My feet were killing me. I guess they only moved fast when they were after someone. Anytime else they just a slowly moving group that liked to talk up the whole of the sidewalk.

When one of them finally settled on a small shop to enter, I was torn between being grateful for having a place to stop and once again contributing to the harassment of innocent people. I sat at an abandoned step stool that sat near a display shelf. I took off my mask and sighed with relief. I rubbed my hands against my face, happy to be able to feel the air on it again. It was a good thing mask was easy to breathe in.

The shelves of the store were filled with varying snack foods and candy. The walls were lined with coolers for drinks of all kinds. The sight of it all made my stomach pain from hunger. I reached over the display and grabbed one of the candy bars, a chocolate one. The wrapper had an exaggerated face smiling while holding a simplified version of the candy up next to them.

I peeled back the flashy yellow paper and took a bite. It tasted a lot sweeter than what I was expecting. They were small crunchy sections in it that I think were supposed to be nuts. It wasn’t bad, but I would have preferred something better. I pulled the wrapper further back, but before I could take another bit, Hue came up and took on instead. I let him have the rest and got another snack. This one was a package of dried meat. This was more like what I was looking for. I shared some of them with Hue before He could start taking them from my hand.

I watched as the other people in masks moved around the small store. All of the previous occupants had managed to get away without getting caught. The group was thankfully still at five, excluding me. Now that everyone else was gone, they were occupying themselves by wandering through the aisles. They didn’t appear to be looking for anything. I doubted they were even looking at what was on the shelves. What was even going on in their heads?

After finishing the dried meat, Hue and I moved on it a bag of salted potato chips. There wasn’t much to them, but as long as it subsided my hunger, I didn’t care. My head was finally clear from whatever effect the alcohol had on me. Taking out my phone, I searched up the effects of alcohol.

The first thing that came up was extensive information on how damaging alcohol was to the body and mind. This had me worried for a moment before I realized with was talking about long term use in large quantities. Thankfully, the worse I could get from what I had was drunk. Considering what I had gotten myself into, I wasn’t planning on doing that ever again.

There was a bang from the back of the store. I stood to look over the aisles just as two people had emerged from a door marked storeroom. They were both monochromes and dressed in matching uniforms. They were descended upon by the other in no time, held against the wall as the blackness overtook them. I didn’t know for sure, but the transformation seemed to be getting faster. Either way, six was now eight.

How large would this group get? Was this how the group at the mall happened? Did that mean the larger the group, the less time the transformation took? This seemed like something that people should know about. But with everyone too afraid to go anywhere near them, I could imagine why I’ve never heard anything about it from the news. Or maybe it was being kept secret. It was hard to say. I didn’t know much about how information flowed through this city.

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a single police car since becoming apart of this group. I would have thought that they would at least they to deal with us in some way or another. I suppose it was possible that they were dealing with a larger group of masked people. If that were the case a group of six, now eight, wouldn’t mean much of anything.

Sitting back on the stepstool, I checked for any recent news about large groups of masked people. My hunch was correct. The main force of the police force was preoccupied with sealing the Heita mall. According to the cite, there were hundreds of masked people inside. They had started gathering there sometime after it had gotten overrun. People had started calling them The Masked. Apparently, the news report first came out about it this morning after several police officers had been turned. I hadn’t bothered to watch the news this morning.

This meant that not only was there likely no one to deal with my group, but also others around growing larger as well. If isolation was the only method anyone had to deal with The Masked, then this was only going to get worse. How long would it take for the city to become overrun? How long until everyone would be transformed?

"There's no way this is going to end well," I said to myself. At this rate, Heita didn't have long.

I stood up and went over to one of the wall coolers. I got out a water bottle for Hue and a soda for myself. I checked to make sure it did have any alcohol in it. I tore open a package of foam bowls and filled one up for him. The soda had a strong sour taste that made my jaw tense up. It was labeled as lemon, which appeared to be some kind of fruit. It was better than the salty taste left over from the meat and chips.

"What should we do now, Hue?" I asked. He merely glanced up at me as he continued to drink. He was responding more to his name rather than the question itself. "You're useless when you want to be."

I pulled the loop end of his leash off of my wrist and left it hanging over Hue's back. Reaching into my pocket, I took out my key and considered going into the library. Maybe if I closed myself in it they would just forget about me and wander off. It wouldn't hurt to at least test it out. I grabbed Hue under my arm and headed over to the front door of the store. Before any of the others could follow me in, I closed the door between us. I set Hue and his bowl of water on an empty shelf and went to sit at the table.

I wished I had taken some food with me. I still had my supplies from Goldsboro, but I didn't want to get into that unless I had to. I'd gotten used to my meals having a decent taste to them and wasn't in any rush to go back. To distract myself from my stomach, I pulled down my mask to see how the library would look through it. Similar to everything outside, the walls and floor were a pitch black, with only white outlines defining their shapes. The stars through the dome overhead didn't have the grid lines like outside did. No, even though the mask the stars still shined as brightly as they had before. Though the faint colors that were around them were now limited to the color range of Heita.

I waited there with my feet propped up on one of the other chairs, watching the stars. There is no what to tell time in here. Seconds, minutes, hours, all of it blends together. I was brought back to when Hue and I had stayed here after Goldsboro had been destroyed. I could still clearly picture the floating bits of buildings and bodies. If it wasn't for Hue, I would never have made it at all. If it wasn't for me Goldsboro would never have been destroyed. I would still be typing nonsense into my computer. I never did find out why Hines has us all typing that. Not that it matters anymore.

"Come on Hue, let's go."

When I reopened the door, I was genuinely surprised to find that the others had actually left. I happily shoved my masked into my backpack and rushed out of the store, no before snagging a few snacks on my way out. I considered taking a box full of food into the library but didn't want to hang out any longer in case some of the of Masked was still around. I filled it up only part ways, so that Hue still had room to fit, along with the mask.

I looked up as the door opened up a man dressed in dark grey gazed over the store. He was a Monochrome and had short black hair and pale grey eyes. His impassive expression didn't change, not even after he spotted me.

“Strange, I didn’t believe that there was anyone left in here.” I was worried that he'd seen me clearly stealing. The feeling turned to fear as a black and white police car stopped by the curb, but he didn’t seem interested in them or me. He just turned back and muttered to himself. “They are essentially mindless. It is no surprise that someone could slip by them.”

Was he looking for the Masked? It made sense that I wouldn’t be the only one curious about them, but I didn’t think anyone would purposely go looking for them. I went outside and turned to head back to the apartment but stopped when one of the officers waved to get my attention. They were both Monochromes and upon seeing me, the two of them rushed toward me. One of them stopped when they reached me while the other went to the door of the store and liked inside.

"Excuse me, we have received reports of a group of Masked in the area. Have you seen any in the area?"

"No. No, I haven't. Not for a while at least," I half lied.

"Where did you last see them?"

I pointed to the opposite direction from the apartment. "I think they went down that way. I was hiding in the store, so I don't know for sure."

"Thank you for your assistance. You should head somewhere safe." I nodded and the officer went to join their partner.

I glanced over to where the man in grey had walking off. He was now across the street watching the officers as they inspected the store. I noticed that he held a black plastic bag in his hand. Did he take something from the store too? I felt Hue's tiny claws grip onto my shirt as he crawled out of the backpack. He took off into the air to go after the man, but I grabbed the leash stopping him.

“No way. We're done for today,” I told him as I pulled him in my arms. “We're going back and doing something nice and boring.”

Once back home, I let Hue out of his harness and headed to my room. What was I going to do? That was the second time I had got caught up with the Masked when I was simply trying to find something to occupy myself with. Three times if I counted the mall incident. Maybe I was just better off staying here or finding a job. I remember hearing that people like me didn't have regular jobs like Monochromes, they were specialized, or at least I think they were. I haven't really interacted with anyone except Ninety-one since leaving the hospital. Working again didn't sound too bad. It beat having to stay here all the time.

Reaching out, I took the books off the side table. I glanced over the survival how-to guide and remembered that I had bought a folding knife. I'd completely forgotten that I had it. I pulled it out of my pocket and looked over the black handle. Maybe I could have used it to get the group to leave me alone, or even to try and pry off one of their masks. No, the masks can probably come off regularly. But it didn't matter now.

I flipped through both of the books, but I had already read through them last night. More than half of the survival guide was filled with pictures, with the fairytale book having a decent amount as well, in addition to not being very large. I should have picked out more books, or at least another one that was larger. I set them back on the table and went into the living room to watch TV.

I watched a few episodes of a cooking show before turning to a news channel. It was covering the event at the mall. The screen showed an overhead shot of the building. Concrete barriers had been placed in the surrounding parking lot of the mall, keeping the Masked inside.

"Officers say that they have finally managed to completely seal of the Heita mall. The number of Masked is unknown but is estimated to be in the thousands. It is unclear as to why, but earlier during the quarantining process, several smaller groups of Masked made their way into the building. Dozens of officers were lost while sealing the building. The names of these officers are being withheld until the one under their care is informed."

The station switched to the reporter who was standing a ways away from the line of police officers who were talking amongst each other. She was like me, but with magenta colored skin.

"By now it has unofficially been confirmed that the missing people have been turned into members of the Masked group. We are still learning exactly what causes this transformation. The only known cause is physical contact, making essentially impossible for authorities to learn anything from them without putting themselves in serious danger."

I switched the channel back to the cooking show. Just as it turned back from a commercial, music began playing from my phone. I pulled it out of my pocket to see 'M7-0391 Calling...' displayed on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey. How are you doing?" Ninety-one asked. "What have you been up to?

"I-um, I'm good. I just got back from going to a club."

"Oh? How was it? Did you enjoy yourself?"

"It was louder than I expected it to be, but it wasn't bad. How is work going?" Was that a question people asked?

"Work is going fine. Not much happens down in the archives. The reason I called you is that I wanted to tell you that the impoundment lot contacted. They said that your van is available to be picked. I'll be picking it up after work so I will be home later than usual."

"Okay." I had completely forgotten about it. Having would be useful with getting around more of the city.

"Just to make sure, you do have a driver's license correct?"

"No, I didn't even know I needed one."

"Okay, well we're going to need to get you one before you can legally drive anywhere. We can work on getting you a learner's permit sometime soon."

"Do I need a license to work too?"

"No, why?"

"I was considering getting a job," I told him.

"You know that you don't have to have one."

"I know but the other things that people like me usually do aren't things that I feel I can get into doing. So I figured that working might be a better choice."

"If you are sure that us something that you want to do, then I'll help you look for one when I get home. Do you know what kind of job you want?"

"No, not yet."

"There are several websites you can look through with job offers. You can look through those to get an idea of what you might want to do."

"I will."

"Alright, well, I have to get back to work now. I'll see you later."

"Okay, goodbye then."

After I ended the called, I headed to my room and turned on the computer. I began searching up available jobs. Unfortunately, most of what came up were positions for Monochromes. The few that were for Zenites were small short term and had no set job disruption except ‘odd job’ and ‘subject to change’. After searching a bit for clarification I realized that the job postings were just one-time jobs that would come randomly. Since I didn’t have an extensive resume or a ‘higher education’ this was likely the best I would be able to get.

Accepting this, I set to attempting to make a resume. It wasn’t too difficult, there were plenty of guides available, however, I didn’t have anything outside of working under Uni-Cell to put on it. I didn’t have any skills to add onto it, nor any sort of references. The more I tried to figure out what to put into it, the more obvious it became that I was unlikely to get a job the type of job I desired. Maybe Ninety-One would be better when it came home to this.


	8. Chapter 8

Boredom had led me to stand next to my closet while holding the white key. The door to the library was already open through the bedroom door. I held up the key and a white line formed on the closet door. The door didn't slide apart like normal, it hesitated as it tried to open, before catching and closing again. It did this a few times before I realized I didn't know how to make it stop. I looked back to Hue, but he was too preoccupied with his toy to care. He only looked up when both doors slammed closed.

I tested the key on the closet door and it opened up without any problems. I walked inside and looked around. Everything was intact and still in place except for the section between two bookcases. Three cases away from were I entered there was now a simple, two panel, white door. I tested the silver handle and it opened. Inside was a simple bedroom. It looked nearly identical to the one in the apartment. This one only had the bed, desk, and chair, inside. It was lit similar to the larger section of the library, with thin sections of lights at the top edges of the ceiling that almost touched the walls. The walls were a plain grey like the rest of the library. The far wall didn't have the window.

This was hardly what I was expecting when I attempted to open the library through two doors. How did this even work? How was it able to make a copy of my room? Why did it happen? How did the library work in the first place? I wished this thing had come with some sort of instructions.

I left the bedroom and went to sit at the table. I touched its surface and the map appeared. Alone this wouldn't help me at all, and I couldn't see thing else that would help. I took my phone from my pocket and looked through it for a bit. It had connected itself to the map and I figured it might have something in it that could help me. But, of course, there was nothing in it that could help me. The only thing on there that was anywhere near connected to the library was the map application, which was in no way helpful. For now, I was forced to accept it as another strange thing the library was capable if doing.

On the upside, if I ever have to stay in here again for a few days at least I won't have to sleep on the floor. With the number of Masked steadily growing, that possibility might not be too far away. I was still getting used to Heita and I'd to be forced to leave it.

I left the library to retrieve my backpack from the couch. The drinks had gotten warm so I placed them in the refrigerator. While I was doing this, I thought about what Ninety-one said about getting clothes more appropriate for work. I had seen several clothing shops around here. After looking up what typical working attire looked like, I decided to head out to get some. I dumped the rest of the snacks out of my backpack so the Hue would have more room. As he flew over toward me, I saw that he had the mask gripped in his mouth. He dropped it in the backpack before settling in himself.

I had found a store only a few blocks away from the apartment that had just what I was looking for. Most of the clothing they had was either black or close two it. It was brightly lit and had a plush dark magenta carpet. A white-haired Monochrome approached me as soon as I entered the store. She asked what I was interested in looking at and I told her about wanting something for a job. She looked confused, likely because I wanted a job at all, but still helped me out.

"Would you prefer or dress or a suit, or maybe a skirt?"

I'd never worn anything other than pants and wasn't exactly interested in changing that anytime soon. "A suit will work."

She showed me a rack of suits that looked about my size. I took a few down that I liked and the woman showed me to a changing room in the back of the store to try them on. I’ve never worn clothes that weren’t mine before, but I had seen it on TV enough times to know about it. I tried on several suits that were each made from a different material or color.

After nearly an hour I settled on a mid-grey one that was slight magenta in color. I bought the suit along with a black tie and black dress shoes. The clothes were rather high priced so I hoped Ninety-One wouldn’t mind. The cashier, a man with black hair, placed everything into a single large bag that was marked with grey and white stripes. When I headed back outside, I noticed that the sun began to descend towards the horizon.

I was beginning the walk back to the apartment when an engine roar echoed through the city, It grew closer when a large van with the word ‘police’ marked on the sides came barreling from around a corner. It crashed into several cars, sending glass and shrapnel flying, eventually tipping onto its side. Smoke poured from several if the crushed vehicles as people began nearing scene. Some stood back and watched like me, as others tried to help people from cars. I could see a liquid blackness seeping out from the broken windshield of the police van.

I had no idea what to do with myself. I'd never seen anything like that before. I considered just continuing home, but I would have to cross through the chaos to get there. Sirens could be heard in the distance. The line of cars on the street grew long while more and more people walked up to see what was happening. People began talking amongst each other, trying to figure out what had caused this.

A group of people headed toward the van, shuffling between the narrow gap between crushed and toppled vehicles to get to it. When they had managed to make their way to it, one of the called out to anyone inside. Another leaned forward to try and see inside. As he did, something dark burst out from the windshield. A group of Masked came flooding from the crashed van. The person trying help were now trapped, without space to flee. The Masked grabbed onto the group, some latching onto two people at once, transforming all of them. There were over a dozen Masked now, and they had no issue with climbing over the wrecked cars to get to people.

Everyone on the street began to run. I ducked back into an alley to avoid the stampeding crowd. From where I was I could see that the Masked didn't bother with the ones running, instead, going for the people trapped in their cars. The gaps between traffic lanes were not enough to ensure their escape. Soon the number of Masked doubled, the speed of the transformation increasing, now only taking a few seconds.

The Masked were spreading further from the crashed van. They were now heading for what remained of the people who were watching. Hue slipped out of my backpack as I pulled it off. I was reaching for the mask when I heard Hue growl. Looking back, I saw a man in dark clothing standing further down the alley. He had a mask like mine, however, his mask was missing a chunk in the forehead. He was a Monochrome with black hair from what I could tell.

"You were at the convenience store," he stated plainly. I didn't respond, only watched him as he stepped toward me. He gazed down at the mask I'm holding halfway out of my bag. "If you intended to wear that then you should put it on before they get any closer."

I put the mask on, now seeing as the street, cars and people dark forms only marked by dark outlines. The brightly glowing buildings light our surrounds. Like this, the Masked were much easier to spot through the mess from the crash. I set the bag with the clothes and shoes into the backpack and held Hue in my arms. He was eyeing the man who stood next to us. He was also watching the chaos on the street.

"Where did you get your mask?" I asked him, lifting up the bottom so he could hear me.

"I got it after fight one of them off when to tried to change into one of them. On their own they are remarkably weak," he said, still watching as more and more people were taken by the Masked. "And yours?"

"They were chasing someone and got hit by a truck. I happened to pick it up."

"I take it that the symbol on the inside is broken, given that you haven't been turned."

"Yes." I paused before asking "Why were you looking for the Masked before?"

"I am studying them."

"Why?"

"Why were you with them?" He asked.

"One of them forced me to put on the mask and I couldn't get away from them for a while." I paused for a second. "How did you know I was with them?"

"They typically don't leave people un-turned. At first, I figured you had had. Now I see that you had simply blended in with them."

"Why are you studying them?" I tried again.

"Since my encounter with one, I have been curious as to what their goal is and how they operate. These creatures are aggressive trying to increase their numbers while also doing it in short increments. I believe that they are operating with a specific goal intended."

"Do you think that the police have a plan to stop them?"

"I doubt it. There isn't much crime in this city. The police and governing power aren't experienced in handling situations like this one. These Masked are likely to overtake the city eventually."

"Oh," I said more to myself than him.

The street was thinning out as the Masked spread down the neighboring streets to get to more people. Sirens were going off all over. Fading shouts could be heard as well. But it was quiet here, with only the footsteps of the Masked as they passed by the alley we stood in. The chaos left as soon as it arrived.

A ringing sound came from the man beside me. He took out the phone and spoke into it. He stepped out of the alley and began trailing behind them as he went. Once I was sure they were all gone I took my mask off and headed back to the apartment. I passed the wreckage that was the crashed van. From under the crashed cars around it, black liquid was pooling from it, slithering against the curb. Colorful shards floated down the dark stream as it emptied into a gutter.

Hue lifted off from my back and flew over to the broken windshield of the van. I'd forgotten to put his harness back on, so I could do nothing but watch as he went inside the vehicle. He came out some minutes later with two masks in his grip. One was clutched in his mouth, the other in his small claws. The one in his hands was perfectly intact without even a single crack on it. The second one was only the top half.

“We don’t need these,” I told Hue as I took the masks from him. He ignored me and hovered over my head. Regardless, I placed them in my backpack.

The streets were quiet as I made my way home. Cars had been left abandoned on the road. If it weren't for the noise in the distance, I'd think that everything had been abandoned. Back at the apartment, I was surprised to see that Ninety-one was already home. When I walked in he was standing at the dinner table with a flat box sitting on top of it.

"Hey," he called when he saw me "I was wondering where you were. I was worried that you had gotten caught up in what happened down the road."

"I went out for a bit before the sun went down," I said as I walked up to him. I saw that the top of the box had a logo for a pizza restaurant that I had seen advertised on TV.

“You weren’t near the accident were you? I was lucky to be coming in from the opposite direction. I heard that there were Masked all over the area,” Ninety-one said as he headed to the kitchen to get down two plates from the cabinet. He then got two cans of soda from the refrigerator.

I set my backpack on the couch. “Yeah, I saw a few of them on the way here.”

“You did? Then it is a good thing that you’re okay. A co-worker told me that they don’t abduct people, but actually, turn them into whatever it is that they are.” I sat at the table with Ninety-one. The pizza was pepperoni. “The Masked problem is getting worse. Are you sure you don’t want to put off finding a job for a little longer?”

“I’m used to working,” I said while focusing down on my food.

"I just want you to know that you don't have to work. It has only been a few days, I'm sure that you'll be able to find something you like. I can even help you find something too if you want.” He opened my soda for me and set in on my side of the table. “I’m don’t want to push anything onto you, but there are still plenty of options out there. There is an event center that might be a good place to start. There are many things to do there.”

"Okay," I agreed.

"What did you get while you were out?"

"Just some clothes for work. You said that I'd need something more professional if I got a job."

"Give unemployment just a few more days. If you really don't like it that much, I promise I'll help you find somewhere to work."

"Alright."

After dinner, I put the new clothes and shoes in the closet. I hid the masks on the top shelf. They were admittedly easy for Ninety-one to reach them, but they weren't in sight so he should notice.

Hue on the desk beside me while I searched on the computer for any news on what happened after the accident. I was able to find a video on a news site. It showed an overhead shot of a standoff between the Masked and the police. The officers had them surrounded and held back by a transparent shield that were a bit larger than the height and width of a person.

"With the riot shields in place the Masked are unable to attack the officers," a reporter said off camera. The video zoomed in to show some of the Masked in the group lunging at the shields. The police were moving in closer, forced the Masked closer together. The camera panned back out, showing several police vans driving up to the scene. “It has been confirmed that the authorities plan on transferring this newest group of Masked to the mall with the others. Nothing has been revealed as to what they plan on doing with the Masked yet.”

The video ended soon afterward in the middle of the police trying to usher the Masked into the vans. The man from the alley said that the police didn't know how to handled the Masked, but clearly, they had methods of dealing with them. On the other hand, the only reason so many were being captured now was due to some of them had escaped before. That alone had increased the number of Masked by two dozen at least, and those had been the ones that were caught. There was no telling how many more were out there.

I turned off the computer and got ready for bed. Once I got settled in, Hue made himself comfortable on my stomach. I didn't understand why he had given me the other two masks. Did he think I wanted them? I had considered telling Ninety-one about them. I doubted he'd be upset to know I had them. Concerned, maybe. But if I did tell him, then I'd probably have to explain how I was in the middle of the mess before. I didn't want to have to explain myself, to justify what I was doing to him. Despite the fact that I was living with him we are still strangers.

I didn't understand why it mattered to him either I worked or not. Maybe it was a cultural thing. Would me having a job reflected badly on him? Maybe people would think that he was able to take care of me on his own. Ninety-one didn't seem strongly opposed to me have a job, but he could have just been hiding it.

It was strange not living on my own anymore. Hue had always been the only housemate I had, and even then he was a fish for a majority of the time. If the Masked problem is ever resolved, then it would just be something I would have to get used to. If I didn't, I would have to find a new place to live anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning I was woken up early by Ninety-one. It was a little confusing, he'd never done this before. My tired mind was conjuring up worse cases scenarios as to why he was here. My thoughts were thrown back to Goldsboro and the Enforces. Then to the Masked. But once I realized that Ninety-one did look alarmed or worried, I began to calm down.

"Sorry to wake you up so early but I thought that it would be a nice treat if we went out for breakfast. I know a place that makes excellent omelets. And french toast if you would rather have that."

"Uh, okay," I said tiredly. Ninety-one then left me to get dressed.

When I stood up from the bed, Hue crawled under the sheets to take up the warm spot that I had left. Even after I had showered and gotten dressed, I was still fairly tired. Before leaving, I filled Hue's food and water bowls for when he decided to wake up. Down in the parking garage, I noticed a white van parked near the far end of the lot. Its Uni-Cell logo clearly visible even with the distance.

I still had no idea what I was going to do with it. Driving would be preferable when getting across the city. Especially if I did end up getting a job. Otherwise, it was just a reminder of Goldsboro. Maybe I would just get rid of it and use public transport.

The restaurant was out of the two to three block radius of the apartment, so I had never seen it before. The building was painted in a deep cyan color. It was a bit bigger than the average shops in the area. The parking lot was large and nearly full even this early. The inside was noisy, not so much from the diners' volume but more from the sheer concentration of people in the building. It only took a couple of minutes for us to be seated. Ninety-one ordered a cheese and spinach omelet and I chose a plate of french toast. After seeing the picture on the menu, I figured it was worth a try. It was sweeter than I expected.

"This is good," I said.

"Good, I'm glad you like it," Ninety-one said as he cut up his omelet.

"What is the event center that you were telling me about last night?"

"It is a fairly large building with many different things to do. There's a movie theater, an arcade, a pool, a small go-kart race track in the basement and a few smaller places in it too."

I had a basic idea of what some of those were thanks to TV. "What's a go-kart?"

"It's like a small car that pretty much anyone can drive. People race them in a walled off track. Most people find it fun, but I've never tried it myself."

As we ate, Ninety-one explained what an arcade was and that the games there gave out paper ticket depending on the score earned on each one. The tickets were used as pseudo-currency to get prizes. It seemed like it would make more sense to just buy the prizes a person wanted since they have to pay real money to play the games anyway, or at least pay for the token needed to play the games. But Ninety-one said that was the fun of it all.

There were a few televisions spread about the diner. They mounted up near the ceiling. On the one that was facing toward our table, there was a news station covering the Masked. Specifically, the incident from last night. The sound was muted but subtitles were displayed at the bottom of the screen. The reporters were discussing the estimated number of lost civilians and police officers. The number is considered to be around thirty or so, while the overall missing since the first Masked incident is in the hundreds.

"Why do they need to have that on in here?" Ninety-one said. It was more of a statement than a question. "We already have to hear enough about the Masked everywhere else."

"You don't like watching the news?" I asked.

"I do at times, but lately all everyone is talking about is the Masked. I know it is important to stay informed, especially with how dangerous they are, but there are other things to talk about."

"What are news stations usually about?"

"That all depends on the day and other things. I just feel that there should be a balance of positive things talked about as well. To keep people hopeful."

"That makes sense," I nodded. "There wasn't anything TV in Goldsboro so I thought stuff like this was normal."

"It is, but I don't necessarily agree with it."

We finished our food shortly after and headed out. The Neon Diamond event center was nearly as large as the Heita mall and had three floors. Even this early the parking lot was crowded, in buildings even more so. The entrance was an area larger than the apartment that had glass walls surrounding it. Some showed outside, others inside.

Through the inner walls, I could see them a wide walkway filled with people moving about, heading in different directions. They were heading in and out of various sections of the building. Each one had a lit sign over the entrance. To get the rest of the building we needed to wait in line to reach one of the six booths to pay to get in. We were given a bag full of tokens and let inside.

"What do you want to try first?" Ninety-one asked.

"The arcade seems interesting."

"Okay. We'll head there first then."

Stepping through the doors, we were hit with the full volume ever everyone inside. Hundreds of people were trying to talk over each other, while under it all music was playing. I kept close to Ninety-one as he led me across the building and through the mass of people.

Most of them were carrying off white tickets with them. Some had them in their sticking out of their pockets. The tickets had a thing magenta outline and some kind of rounded swirling design in the middle. It seemed to be more of like a decoration rather than a symbol of some kind. People were also carrying bags filled with animal-like towards and other colorful things that I couldn't entirely identify.

The arcade was much larger than what I expected it to be. The room was somewhat dark, but with all the lights from the games flashing games. There were also small colored spotlights that were placed around the large room. The carpet was black with brightly colored shaped decorating it. The shapes seemed to glow in the odd lighting.

Ninety-one led me to a game called Skee Ball. Playing it was simple. All there was to it was rolling a ball up the slope into one of the holes marked with numbers. It was an easy game to learn. That was probably why Ninety-one wanted us to start with it. Once we had run out of balls to toll, our respective games began spitting out tickets. We got far more than I thought we would get, especially considering I didn't do that well.

We played a few more rounds before collecting our tickets and moving onto something else. The next one was a basketball game. I had seen enough of the sport on TV to know how it worked. Although, that didn't help me much when throwing the balls. My aim was always off by a bit, but not enough to prevent the game from sending out tickets given my small score. The game we played was a digital one. It was a fighting game required only a few buttons to be pushed rapidly to win. It wasn't something I felt I could get into, but it was the easiest game we've played for me so far.

Most of the games in the arcade were digital. A good amount of them were shooting games based around the players defending themselves from some type of fictional monster. Others driving games were we had to sit in a fake car or motorcycle to play. I wasn't as good with the motorcycle, and Ninety-one had to explain that I was supposed to run into the people on the screen for points. At first, I thought it was odd that so many games were based around violence, but Ninety-one said that was the fun of it. Although, after I'd asked that he took me to games less violent games like matching colorful shapes or miniature versions of sports.

After about two hours or so, we had run out of games that either of us were interesting in playing. Ninety-one led me over towards the back of the arcade to where the prize counter. It had a long glass cabinet filled with small, colorful toys. Behind it was a wall filled with larger items. There were stuffed toys, miniature cars, remote-controlled planes, light up jewelry, shirts and many other things.

Ninety-one handed over our tickets to one of the workers behind the counter and headed over to an ATM-like machine in the back of their area. They fed the line of tickets into the machine as the screen on it quickly began counting up.

Do you know what you want?" Ninety-one asked.

I looked over the wall. Each item had a tag with a number on it. The smallest of the drones was up to five thousand tickets. The largest stuffed animal, which was about the size of a person, was up to two thousand seven hundred tickets. The counter on the machine was only in the five hundred, and the worker didn't have many tickets left to go. Most of the prized that were in that range were shirts, smaller more reasonable sized stuffed toys, animal or vehicle shaped balloons, large foam gliding planes, and some kind of flashing light up stick.

I pointed to a black stuffed animal that I believe was a dog or some kind of canine. It had a cartoonish white skull for a face, large black Xs for eyes and a small white X for the mouth. The underside of its ears were also white. It was an odd toy, especially compared to the other colorful and cheerful ones around it.

"I want the rabbit with the Xs," I told him.

"Alright."

When the arcade worker had finished having our tickets counted he came over and handed us a paper with the sum total of our tickets. Five hundred sixty-five in all. That was plenty to get the rabbit with some left over. Up close I could tell that the rabbit was only a bit smaller than Hue and felt softer than I thought it would.

"What else do you want to get?" Ninety-one asked. There were still fifteen ticket points left to spend. I scanned over the counter, where there were all the small and cheaper prizes were.

"I'm not sure."

"They have bracelets, whistles, glow sticks, finger lights, light up glasses, rubber balls, candies-"

"I want a glow stick," I said as he began trailing off. I had seen them on TV.

With the remaining fifteen tickets points I was able to get five of the smaller glow sticks. They were the kind that had a black caps on the ends that you would turn the light the tiny bulb on the end. I tried on and watched it light up in a soft magenta. Turning the opposite knob made the light flash at different speeds. It was an interesting device.

"How about we go see a movie next?" Ninety-one suggested as we stepped away from the prize counter.

"Okay."

I followed Ninety-one out the arcade to the main walkway. We followed the crowd to a set of moving stairs. The lobby to the movie theaters was nearly as large as the whole of the arcade. With the addition of the individual theaters, it took up half of the second floor.

The large room smelled of what I assumed to be popcorn. The people around us were carrying decorative bags filled with. Somewhere holding hot dogs, candies, and cups of soda. The carpet was similar to the one in the arcade. The walls were painted a dark magenta with thin vertical white stripes. Black framed posters of available movies were displayed on the walls. At the back of the room was a long counter where foods and drinks could be bought. On either side were walkways that led into the theaters.

"Do you know what type of movie you want to see?" Ninety-one asked.

"No really, no. You can pick."

He gave a dry laugh. "Well, I haven't seen a movie in so long, I'm not sure what would even be interesting."

I pointed over to a dark poster that pictured a yellow-skinned man holding a large gun, with outlined figures looming behind him. "What about that one?"

"That's a horror movie. We can see it if you want to, but it might be a bit scary."

"They make movies to scare people? Why?"

"Some people find it fun." I couldn't understand why anyone would purposely get themselves frightened, but to each their own, I guess.

After a while, we decided on a science fiction movie about robots. I had seen advertisements on TV, more so that than any of the other movies available. Ninety-one bought a small bag of popcorn and a soda for both of us. The movie was more action-oriented than I assumed it would be from the trailers, although it was still good. Good but loud. Loud and violent. There were a lot of deaths within the movie, both human and robot.

After the movie, we went back down to the first floor to eat. We settled on a seafood restaurant. Ninety-one and I sat at a square, four-person table not too far from the entrance. In one of the seats next to mine, the toy rabbit sat with its head leaned off to one side. It was a bit strange feeling like we were having a meal with it.

Similar to the breakfast place, there were televisions spread about the restaurant. The volume was turned on, although low. At the center of the restaurant was a large oblong aquarium. This had been the first time I had seen a tank that size.

"I've never seen fish like those before," I said.

"Those are saltwater fish," Ninety-one told me.

"Saltwater?"

"They are originally from the ocean."

"Where's that?"

A look of confusion crossed his face. It was the one that told me I had asked something that was common knowledge here. However, the look passed as quickly as it showed appeared. "It is like a lake but far larger."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "I know what it is?"

"Just checking," he said with a laugh. "The ocean is several hundred miles away from here. We can visit there one day if you'd like."

"Maybe, but I want to get used to here before traveling somewhere else."

"That's understandable," Ninety-one nodded.

Once we had finished eating and were making our way back down toward the lower floor, Ninety-one got a call on his cellphone. The conversation was short and when it had ended, he looked unnerved.

"I'm sorry about this, but we need to head to the grocery store."

"Okay." Once we were down the street I decided to ask what the phone call was about.

"That was a coworker of mine. He said that there is a good chance that the Masked have tainted the drinking water. He doesn't know how bad it is yet, but we're going to get a few cases of water just in case the worst happens."

"What is the worst that can happen?"

"There is no telling with the Masked. They could be trying to get everyone in the city too sick to resist them, or even kill us." His face creased in a frown. "I just can't believe how little anyone knows about them. Even if they are dangerous, someone must know how to stop them."

"Aren't the police capturing them and putting them in the mall?"

"They are, yes, but-. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I get the feeling that it alone won't be enough. All they are doing is forcing them into a pretty larger area where they can roam free and do whatever they please. The mall wasn't exactly made to be secure, especially not from the inside." He gave a slow sigh. "Who knows what the Masked could be doing in there. Hundreds of them are being left there to plan their next move."

I didn't have a response to that. He did have a point. The Masked had already broken free from a truck transport once before, so there was a good chance they were going to try again. If the Masked were responsible for whatever Ninety-one's coworker said happened to the water, then there was no telling what their next step could be.

"I'm sorry," Ninety-one said. "I don't mean to sound negative or make you think that we were in serious danger. We were having a good time before, I didn't mean to ruin it."

"It's fine."

"No, it isn't. The last thing I want to do is worry you."

"I'm not worried. I mean, I'm probably less worried than you are, I guess. Back in Goldsboro, there was a group of people, they weren't exactly people really, but they were hurting others regularly too. Killing them, actually. I guess, in comparison, the Masked are just easier for me to deal with."

"What exactly were the group that you had in your city?"

"They were called the Enforcement. They went around killing anyone who wasn't a mindless follower of Uni-Cell, the company I worked for."

He looked over to me in alarm. It took a few moments for him to decide what to say next. "How did you deal with a situation like that? Wasn't there someone in charge to stop them, to protect you?"

"Uni-Cell ran the city. It was our government. The leader of it all controlled everything, including the Enforcement. There was nothing I could do besides my job. Doing what was wanted of me was the only way to stay safe."

"How did you get out of there?"

"The city fell apart." Though not completely true it was the easiest way to explain it. The complete story is less believable and harder to make sense of.

"I see, well, I'm glad you were able to get out of there safely," He said as we pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is actually reading this can you say 'here' in the comments just so I know people are really reading through it and not just skimming the first chapter and bailing out? Thanks


	10. Chapter 10

By the time we had gotten back home with the eight cases of bottled water, news about the polluted plumbing. There was rumored to be some sort of video of what had happened, but the news stations considered it too unsettling to be shown on air. That didn't stop it from being shared online. It was shot through some sort of body camera the police were wearing when the followed them into the city. The footage was dark and grainy.

It started out with lights from flashlights being shined on the walls and floor of the sewers. Giant, concrete tunnels that were covered in a dark. sickly slime that was a border between yellow and black in color. I could only imagine how awful it smelled down there. Large rats could be seen scurrying from the police officers as the moved through the tunnel.

Soon enough the flashlights caught on the bright colored faces of the Masked. Their dark clothing nearly invisible on the screen. They stood in a line across from the police, separated by a thick pipe. In large blocky lettering 'water line' was spelled out. Some sort of round lid to it had been opened. Even with the bad video, water could be seen splashing out of it.

One of the Masked stepped forward and leaned over the opening. It took ahold of the mask and began tearing it off. Black ooze began pouring from the area of separation in thick globs. It fell into the open pipe like thick paint. The Masked leaned further, ripping its face off, its body melting entirely into the black mess and into the pipe. Once it was gone, a second Masked stepped up to begin ripping away its face.

It was here the police decided to intervene. They rushed forward to stop them. The video became shaky and unclear before abruptly ending. I already knew from the news that only one of the police officers had made it out. The others had been turned to Masked. There are people working to discover what the effect of the black substance would have on the water and anyone who comes in contact with it.

I pulled Hue off of my lap, set him on his bed and left the computer to head to the bathroom. An almost large comically bottle of hand sanitizer sat on the counter. I turned on the faucet just far enough so that the sound of it wouldn't be able to reach the living room. The water that poured out was dark, almost black in color. It was almost hard to believe that it had only taken a handful of hours to completely contaminate the water system.

"Sol," Ninety-one called from the living room. I shut off the faucet and went to him. He was sitting on the couch. He'd been there watching the news since we got home. "My coworker, the one that warned us about the water, he'll be here in a bit, alright."

He didn't say it as a question, but it felt like he was asking. It was his home, I had no say in who he let come here. "Okay."

"Also, we probably won't be able to go back to the event center later. At least not until this whole thing with the water is fixed. It's too dangerous to keep places like that open."

I nodded. "Okay."

He glanced at the TV, which was muted for the moment and was playing an interview with someone was the 'head of water treatment' according to the test under him. "Are you doing alright? Do you need to talk this out or anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to talk about how this whole situation with the Masked is affecting you emotionally?"

I blanked for a moment. I didn't have much of an emotional investment in the Masked. What they were doing was horrifying and I'd rather they not be trying to take over the city but as afraid of them as everyone else was. Maybe it was because I had actually spent a decent amount of time around them. When they were going around attacking people, they didn't actually do anything. It could have been because I knew how to hide from them. I didn't know.

"I don't know how I feel about all of this," I told him.

I could tell that it wasn’t the answer he expected or wanted. But he scratched at his now messy pulled back hair and smiled. “Alright, I was just checking. But if you ever do want to talk, I’m always willing to listen.”

“Okay,” I said before heading back to my room.

I didn’t understand the purpose of Ninety-one asking about that. Whatever the reason, I doubted he intended for it to end the way it did. Did he ask because he wanted to talk about how he felt about it? Should I have asked him? I wanted to, but felt like going back now would just be awkward. Instead, I distracted myself by looking up any new information on what the Masked are doing. That occupied me for nearly an hour until I heard a faint knock and Ninety-one speaking.

When I peaked out of my room, I saw him talking with someone. A man who was a bit taller than Ninety-one. He was a Monochrome as well. He had short that was combed back, a thin beard and a dark grey suit. The two men smiled as they greeted each other. Before I could go back to my room, I was noticed by the stranger and he waved at me. Without another option, I stepped out and approached them.

“Sol, this is M7-6800. He is my friend and coworker. Zero-zero, this Sol the one I told you about at work.”

“Hello,” I said.

“It is pleasure to finally meet you,” He said as he held out his hand.

"I already have the coffee made," Ninety-one said as he walked towards the kitchen. "Sol, do you want some?"

"Yeah, sure." I'd never coffee before but the people on TV made it sound good.

Zero-zero went over and sat at the dining table. Ninety-one joined him, setting down a tray with three mugs of coffee and two smaller cups. I went over and sat next to Ninety-one as he passed out the mugs and began talking with Zero-zero. I looked down at the dark liquid as they both started putting the things from the smaller cups in the drinks.

It smelled well enough so I took a sip while being mindful of how hot it was. I almost spat out the small bit I drank immediately. I had never tasted anything like that before. I didn't have anything to compare it to. I set the cup down and halfway pushed it away from me.

"I take it that you've never had coffee before," Zero-zero asked.

"No," I said almost glaring at the mug.

Ninety-one took the two smaller cups and set them in front of me. One looked to be milk and the other was either sugar or salt. "Most people don't like their coffee plain, it can be too bitter to them. Try putting these in it. They'll help it taste better. Go easy on the creamer, or you can make it too sweet."

I added some of both until it was a pinkish grey color. When I tried it again it definitely tasted better, but not as good as TV made it seem. 

"Sol, how did your trip to the event center go?" Zero-zero asked.

"It was fun," I said. I was caught off guard by him speaking to me. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't expect him to do that."

"I tried to get us there early, but it was still crowded when we got there," Ninety-one added.

"I got a rabbit toy," I said, attempting to add to the conversation. I was probably better off keeping quiet or better yet go back to my room. I stood up, a bit more suddenly that I intended. "I'm going to make sure Hue doesn't chew on it."

Ninety-one one looked confused for a moment before smiling. "You should bring him in here so Zero-zero can see him."

"Okay." I was hoping to not have to come back, but maybe having Hue with me would be less weird.

Hue sitting at the window looking outside. He looked up when I walked him. I didn't believe he would be trying to mess up the rabbit toy. Since it didn't squeak like his ball, he didn't care much about it. He held onto my shirt as a picked him up and took him to the living room.

Zero-zero eyes widened and he visibly shifted in his chair when he saw Hue. "Is that thing a dragon?"

"Yes, apparently," Ninety-one said.

"Where precisely did you get it?"

"A pet store." Not a complete lie.

"Which one exactly? If you don't mind me asking."

"They got him outside of Heita," Ninety-one added. "The building isn't there anymore."

"Oh, how unfortunate." he paused "Were dragons a common pet there?"

"He's the only one I've seen," I said as I sat down at the table. Still, in my lap, Hue leaned over and smelled at the coffee. "Pets weren't common at all in Goldsboro anyway."

"I can see why you wanted him, he's incredible. May a hold him?" Zero-zero asked.

"I guess so."

We both stood up and I held out Hue to him. When Zero-zero reached for him, he wiggled out of my hands and flew over to the couch. I picked up my mug and followed after him.

"He is able to fly? I suppose that to be expected of such a creature."

Ninety-one chuckled. "I know, he's quite a sight."

"I'm curious to know more about him given the chance."

"I'm not surprised that you would. But he only takes to Sol, so you liked won't get too close to him."

"May I ask what your living situation was before coming here?" Zero-zero asked.

"I lived in an apartment. It was a lot smaller than this one though."

"Did you live with anyone else?"

Why was he asking all these questions? "No."

"Was that by choice or circumstance?"

"You're prying a bit aren't you," Ninety-one cut in.

"My apologies. It is my first time meeting anyone from outside the city. I can't help but be a bit curious."

"Everyone lived by themselves," I told him before taking a drink of the coffee. It had cooled down some, but I still wasn't that fond of it. "No one had or was a caretaker if that's what you want to know."

"What about children?" Zero-zero asked further.

"I never saw any." He sat back in his chair and looked down at the table, clearing processing what I had said. "Are you a caretaker too?"

He blinked, eyes focusing on the table. "No."

“Do you want to be one?”

“Not particularly, no.”

"Why not?" I ignored the glance Ninety-one gave me. “From what I learned, it is the norm isn’t it?”

“Sol,” Ninety-one started.

“It’s fine. I’m used to being asked. Besides they are just curious,” Zero-zero said as he intertwined his fingers and set his hands on the table before speaking. "To put it simply, being a caretaker does not appeal to me. I’m not fond of the concept of taking care of an adult that is capable of looking after themselves.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I said before taking another drink from my coffee.

“What about you? Heita must be quite a change from what you are used too. How are you adjusting?”

“I’m used to spending all of my time working, so it has been hard trying to figure out how to spend my time. I was considering getting a job.”

He rested his elbows on the table and leaned on his hands. “Really? What sort of job?”

“I was hoping to get a job similar to the one I had before, but I don’t think people like me work in offices here.”

“You’re right, they don’t. Those are reserved for Monochromes, especially ones who are caretakers.”

“But there are plenty of other jobs that you are able to get,” Ninety-one added. “Even if you want a quiet job, there are plenty of those too.”

“If you want quiet, then you should consider working at the archives. Some of our coworkers find it peaceful. Other call it stale. But who knows, you might like it,” Zero-zero suggested.

“What do you do there?” I asked.

“My job involves connecting similar information together and sorting it into categories and how it relates to other collected information.,” Ninety-one said. “It isn’t too interesting, but I do learn new things fairly often.”

“I’m part of the department that takes any new information and dictates its importance,” Zero-zero explained. “Usually it’s been mundane things such as new movies or songs that have been released. But a few months ago I was added onto the team that handles all information about the Masked.”

“Do you know how many Masked there are?” I asked.

“With how they multiply there is no way to know the exact number, but there are definitely a few thousand. Thankfully, most of them are contained within the mall.”

“What are you going to do with them?”

He took a drink from his coffee. “The plan, in theory, is to find a way to reverse what has happened to them. Although, that doesn't seem very likely. If things continue how they are, we may have to consider getting rid of them.”

“That seems a rather harsh,” Ninety-one said quietly.

“Yes, well, that is the worst case scenario.”

“Maybe we should talk about something that is a bit less grim,” Ninety-one suggested.

Zero-zero gave a dry laugh. “Alright.”

While Ninety-one and Zero-zero went into a discussion about something that happened at their work, I left the table and head toward the couch. Hue was pawing at the remote, watching as he changed the channels. He grabbed at it with his small claws when I took it from him. The rubber buttons were covered in thin scratches. I sat on the couch and pulled Hue into my lap.

Whichever channel the TV was now on was showing a video with an overhead perspective of a street within a neighborhood. Groups of two to four Masked were coming out of the homes and joining into a much larger group. A few of the Masked within the group were smaller than the others. Children, if I were to guess. More and more of them filled the street, walking in the same direction. When the camera moved, it showed that they were heading towards the taller buildings that were the middle of the city.

Setting Hue down, I stood up to head to the window on the wall behind the couch. Looking down, I saw that there were Masked roaming the streets. But nearly as much as there were on TV, but definitely more than what I had seen before. There weren't any regular people around, and the streets were clear of any traffic. These ones didn't walk in unison, instead simply roaming independently to wherever they saw fit.

"We believe that the contaminated water may be the cause of the sudden increase of Masked." Looking back, I saw that Hue had had the remote in his mouth and was climbing on the back if the couch. Ninety-one and Zero-zero had both gone quite at the sudden voice. "Authorities are unsure as to the where this group is headed, but everyone is advised to barricade themselves indoors until further notice. Do not come in contact with any of the black water. There is a serious risk of it transforming people into more Masked. Keep children away from bathrooms and kitchens. Further updates will be made as they develop. Until then-"

The words were abruptly cut off as the channel changed to midway through a restaurant commercial before the sound muted. Hue was back to pawing at the buttons.

"What should we do?" Ninety-one asked.

"As long as we're in here, we should be fine," Zero-zero assured him.

"How long do you think this will go on for?"

"The rest of the night at the very least," Zero-zero said while he looked into his coffee mug. "Maybe until tomorrow. It would depend on how many Masked are out there, what they do, and whether people stay away from the water. But we should be fine."

"If they can't stop them, are we going to have to leave the city?" I asked while looking back out the window.

"It won't come to that," Ninety-one said as he stood up and walked over toward me. He set his hand on my shoulder and gave a weak smile. "We'll be fine. You don't need to worry."

"Okay." I couldn't help but wonder how the police were even going to contain the Masked. So far it had seemed like they were barely managing. Now they would be dealing with something on a larger scale. Maybe that guy in the broken mask was right, maybe they good enough to solve this.

"How about we watch a movie? There a station that is always playing them."

"Sure." When I stepped away from the window, Ninety-one reached over and closed the blinds.

The three of us settled on the couch with Ninety-one sitting between Zero-zero and me. The movie that was playing was already part way through. I think it was romantic in theme. The only sound between us was the squeaking of Hue’s toy as he chewed on it.


	11. Chapter 11

Zero-zero had stayed with is overnight. He tried to assure Ninety-one that he would be fine getting home, but Ninety-one wouldn't take the risk. He'd given Zero-zero a set of pajamas and offered to share his bed. The next morning we all eating cereal together quietly while we listened to the news. The situation outside hadn't changed. The number of Masked roaming the streets had only increased, with no signs of the people who were supposed to be capturing them.

After breakfast, Ninety-one had switched the channel to a station that was continuously showing what Zero-zero called a soap opera. He also explained that their dramatic words and actions were just how shows like those were. It was interesting enough at first, but after a few episodes, it had gotten dull.

Restless, I stood up and paced over to the window where Hue was crouched on the sill. Clouds covered the sky, muting the natural colors of the city. The flashing signs and billboards glowed in the lower light. QEven with so many Masked walking around, this was the first time I'd seen Heita look so still. That was the only sounds from outside was from the helicopter that was circling the city.

"There's a chance we'll be spending a few days in here," I looked back to see Zero-zero looking intently at his cellphone. "Do you have enough food if we do?"

"I never considered something like this would happen, I was only concerned about getting water, but there should be enough in there. Do you think this problem will last that long?"

"I don't know for sure," Zero-zero admitted. "Although, if it gets anywhere near that dire, I believe that we should leave the city."

"You're worrying about it too much," Ninety-one absently. "I'm sure the people handling this will have it taken care if today if not tomorrow."

"If not, will you agree to leave?"

"It won't come to that."

"But if it does. Or if the issue gets worse, will you agree to leave with me?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow afternoon if nothing has changed."

The two of them settled into a tense quiet as Ninety-one switched through the channels. Most of them were either covering the Masked as the moved through the city, or had a line of scrolling words at the bottom of the screen about them.

"We might as well watch the news," Zero-zero spoke up. "At least to know what is happening."

Ninety-one said nothing as he handed over the remote to Zero-zero.

Ninety-one said nothing as he handed over the remote to Zero-zero. He changed the channel to the nearest news station. It was showing a video of the mall were the Masked were held. The barriers that had kept them inside were broken in several places. Buses and other large vehicles sat crushed against the building, leave gaping holes through the temporary walls. Whatever guards that had stood watch were gone. Only a hand full of masked still remained, wandering the site. The camera was zoomed in enough that it was possible to see the tiny silver things littered the ground where black liquid and broken masks laid.

A noise in the hallway drew our attention from the TV. It sounded like running footsteps and the slam of a door. Zero-zero muted the TV as we listened and waited for anything else to happen, but it was silent.

"Probably just kids playing," Ninety-one concluded.

"Right," Zero-zero said as he changed the channel to a commercial.

I moved from my place at the window and headed to the kitchen. I took a water bottle from the refrigerator. Just as I untwisted the lid, a knock came from the door. I set the bottle on the counter and went over to it.

"See who it is, but don't open it," Zero-zero said.

I looked through the small glass hole and was met with the sight of a blank striped face. "It's a Masked."

The couch scraped against the floor as both of them stood up. At the sound, the Masked began knocking louder. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was panicking. When knocking didn’t work, it grabbed for the door handle. It clicked vainly as the door remained shut. When that didn't work, it tried slamming itself into the door. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was panicking.

“What should we do?” Ninety-one asked when he stepped up behind me. “How did they get into the building?”

“We’ll be fine as long as the door is locked,” Zero-zero said as he joined us at the door. “Just keep quiet and it will move on.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, trust me on this.”

“What’s all this noise?” A muffled voice asked from beyond the door.

All at once, the knocking stopped and was replaced by rushing footsteps, a person shouting and a thud. I tried to step forward to look through the door, but Ninety-one held me back with a hand on my shoulder. I stared at the door as more and more sounds came from behind it. Knocking, voices, indiscernible shouts and running. All multiplied atop each other and spreading throughout the halls.

I looked up when I felt Ninety-one when I felt his grip on my shoulder tighten. "Sol, go to your room and lock the door."

"They won't get in," Zero-zero assured us. "As long as we stay quiet, they'll think this place is empty and move on."

"How can you be sure of that?" Ninety-one questioned.

"I've researched them for months. I know how they operate. As bad as it sounds, they'll only be focused on the people they can easily get to. People like us, who'll stay inside should be safe."

"But one already knows we are in here," Ninety-one reminded him.

"It has likely already forgotten about us. They're fast and protestant in a chase, but they are far from intelligent. It'll go to wherever the easiest victims are."

"What should we do? At this rate, the whole floor will be overrun. Aren't we trapped?" I asked. I wasn’t able to understand his calmness. "Is there anything we can do?"

"We will have to wait until they clear the building on their own before leave without being instantly descended upon." Zero-zero stepped up to the door and looked through the while. He stepped back after a moment. "There are quite a few of them out there. It will take a while before they clear out."

"We need to notify the police," Ninety-one declared.

"That won't make a difference."

If the Masked made it all the way up to this floor then that means there are more of them throughout the building. All of them turning as many people as the can as they move around. Even if we did call someone for help, I doubt they'd be able to capture them all, let alone transfer them out." He turned back toward us and leaned against the door. "They would seal the building just as they did with the mall."

"You said that they would clear the floor. How long do you think that would take? Will they eventually leave the building too?" Ninety-one asked. "Maybe we could make it to the fire escape."

"It is hard to say," Zero-zero admitted. "They only move fast when they are after someone. Otherwise, they will slowly wander around, sometimes not leaving an area for hours. It could take days for it to be safe enough to leave here. Maybe longer given how many Masked there are and how large the building is."

Ninety-one took a deep sigh and dropped his hand from my shoulder. "Then we have no choice but to wait it out. We'll keep the TV low and watch for updates. We will have to ration our food and water too."

"The longer we wait, the higher the chance someone else will call the police and tell them what is happening. If this isn't the only building this is happening in, then there is also the chance that the streets could be overrun too." Hue flew from the window sill as Zero-zero paced over to it. He looked down, out over the city. "I may be able to get us out of here, but I'll need to wait until the Masked on this floor clear out a bit."

Ninety-one walked around me and up to Zero-zero. "What are you talking about? You aren't thinking about going out there are you?"

"I know it sounds dangerous, but there is a safe way to get passed the Masked. I'll get my bag and show you what I mean." Zero-zero left towards Ninety-one's room. When he returned he was carrying a black shoulder bag I didn't know he had with him. He set it on the table and pulled out a mask. It had a large chip missing out of the forehead. It was the same one the man in the street had yesterday.

"Where did you get that?" The tension in Ninety-one's voice nearly sounded like anger.

"I got from a Masked that got itself killed trying to get to me. You don't need to worry, it is safe. The masks themselves are completely harmless as long as it is broken like this on is," Zero-zero tried to assure us. "When I wear this, I am able to move freely around the Masked. They believe I am one of them."

"How would you even learn something like that?"

"Research. This Masked problem is destroying our city. Drastic measures have been considered to learn how to stop them."

"So you expect us to put those things on our faces and then what?"

"We will leave the city," Zero-zero restated.

"We will be fine as long as we stay here."

"What about when we run out of food?" I asked.

"We aren't at risk of that for several days," Ninety-one tried to promise me. He turned back to Zero-zero. "You're scaring them."

"I'm not scared. He's right. There is no guarantee that anyone is coming to help us or even if they'd be able to if they did. We should leave now while we have the chance."

"What if it doesn't work? What if the Masked don't see us as one of them and they attack us? What if the masks don't work and they turn us into them? What if we're captured by the police and imprisoned with the Masked? There are so many things that can go wrong with this plan."

"You're just speculating. I have used my mask several times to study them up close, as long as it is broken correctly we will be fine," Zero-zero explained. "If we are mistaken for Masked then we’ll show them we aren't. This plan will work."

"But what if you are a special case and it doesn't work for us? What if it only works for Monochromes and Sol gets turned?"

"I'll be fine," I cut in.

He shook his head, "You don't know that for sure and I'm not willing to take that chance."

"But I've tried it before, I know it works on me," I admitted impulsively. Ninety-one looked to me with a confused horror on his face. Zero-zero seemed far less affected by the reveal. Maybe he had already suspended that he had met beforehand? "We don't have to get any more masks either. I have two we can use."

"How- where did you get them?" Ninety-one asked. "You don't fight the Masked did you?"

"No, they came from ones that died in traffic accidents. I just happened to be nearby."

"But why would you take them? They could have been dangerous."

"Hue gave them to me. He thought they were safe, so I trusted him on it."

"He's an animal, he can't know if something is safe or not," Ninety-one argued. "Did he convince you to put the mask on too?"

"No. A Masked did when I was drinking at a bar."

"You were at a bar? By yourself?"

"That doesn't matter now. We have a way to get out of here and you should take it before things get worse."

Ninety-one ran a hand through his white hair. "How many times have you been walking around with the Masked?"

"Just a few times, and never on purpose. I just kept a mask with me so I'd be safe from them. Running from them doesn't work. Hiding is barely an option, this was all I had."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

Why would I, I've never needed to justify my actions before. "I wasn't sure how you would react. I told you, compared to the Enforcement, the Masked as frightening. Especially with a mask."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious of them, Sol. You've seen what they've done to people." Why was he scolding me as if I hadn’t been doing fine on my own? He was to one how insisted that I had to go out and explore the city.

"Being turned into one of them is far better than being bashed against the floor or choked so hard your neck breaks as Enforcers would do," I shot back at him. We fell silent when a knock came at the apartment door.

Zero-zero stepped closer to us a whispered. "I know this isn't the best moment, but we need to stay quiet. Ninety-one we need to decide soon.”

Without responding, Ninety-one stepped away from us to pace around by the couch. From the seat, Hue watched him curiously. The room fell into a tense quiet, leaving us to only listen to the knocking at the door.

"Fine," Ninety-one said eventually as he stopped and turned to us. "I'll trust you both on this. Just tell me the plan, I don't want any more surprises."

"Alright," Zero-zero agreed. "There isn't much to it. We'll use the masks go get downstairs into the parking garage. From there we can take my car and use it to leave the city."

Nine shook his head. "I still don't think we need to leave the city. That is far too drastic. How about we go to your place instead?"

"This place is more secure than where I live. There is a chance this could happen there too. If you're insistent on staying in Heita then we should go to the Archives. If anywhere is going to be secure from any Masked attacks, it will be there."

Ninety-one nodded. "The Archives is fine for me."

"One other thing. There is a chance you won't be able to come back here. So if there is anything you want to take with you, you both should get them now."

"I hadn't thought of that," Ninety-one said as he gazed around. "I have a suitcase we can put clothes in."

"It is probably better to take something small," Zero-zero suggested. "They don't care about backpacks and other small bags, but something that large might make them suspicious."

“Alright, we’ll keep it small,” Ninety-one agreed grimly. Hue shot over my head as he followed me when I went into my room.

I wanted to tell Ninety-one about the library, but he already reacted so badly about the masks. Who knew what he would say. He might even use it as an excuse to stay longer. So I decided to say nothing about it and secretly put in Hue's and my things into the library. I got the masks and strapped Hue in his harness. Heading downstairs would have been the worse time for him to run off. After stuffing my backpack full of my clothes, and shoving the folding knife into my pocket, we returned to the living room. Ninety-one and Zero-zero were standing next to the dining table when I returned.

"When you put on the mask, everything is going to look very different," Zero-zero explained. "We will be seeing things as the Masked see them. It will be a little disorienting at first, so we will need to stick close together."

Walking over, I handed him a mask. He eyed it before reluctantly taking it in his hands. "Are both of you sure about this?"

"It is the only way we can get out of the building safely," Zero-zero reminded him.

Ninety-one merely turned the mask over in his hands. While he did, I put my own mask on. The darkness that overtook my vision faded as the white outlines over the apartment came into view. The only remaining colors were the masks Zero-zero and Ninety-one were holding.

The dark black form watched me cautiously. His faceless gaze turned to Zero-zero as he also put on his mask. His body darkened as the colors on his mask brightened as it took on a faint glow. After a few moments, Ninety-one did so as well.

They both put on their bags and Zero-zero headed for the door. Ninety-one held out his hand to me. I didn't see the need for it but took it anyway. If it made him more comfortable, then that was fine with me. Together we walked over to Zero-zero. He nodded to assure that we were reading to head out. When we nodded back he unlocked it and opened the door.

The Masked that had been knocking on the door before hadn't stopped. When the door opened the Masked stepped inside and up to Zero-zero. He didn't move as the Masked examined him. Ninety-one, on the other hand, shifted back. The unsure movement caught the Masked's attention and it moved over to us. A second one followed it inside. I stayed still even as I felt Ninety-one's grasp tightened. I moved in from to him as the Masked got closer.

Hue, who had sat himself on my backpack since there were too many clothes for him to fit inside, crawled over my shoulder and hissed at the Masked. In turn, it reached out its hand only to be bitten. The Masked retracted its arm, seeming more confused than in pain.

Ninety-one jumped as a crash sounded from the far end of the kitchen. The white outlines of something were scattered against the counter. The small bits still settling into place. The noise drew the two Masked over towards it, along with one other that roamed into the room. Zero-zero waved us to the door and we followed him out.


	12. Chapter 12

The darkened world was incredibly disorientating. The thin lines made everything blend together. Since Zero-zero was more experience with navigating, so he led us through the hallway. It hadn't taken the Masked nearly as long as we had hoped to completely overrun this floor. Many of the doors around us were open and the apartments emptied. The few that weren't had Masked lingering near them, knocking and waiting to be let in.

How had so many people gotten caught and turned so quickly? Were people here really that blatantly trusting of random people knocking at their doors? They must have known that the Masked were getting bolder. There was no way for us to safely search for anyone else or bring them with us, so we were left to find our way out.

Our first attempt to leave the floor was via the elevator. But once it had arrived we were surprised to find it crowded with Masked. The way the shifted against each other, I didn't seem like the knew what they were doing. A few of them stumbled out while others moved passed us and tried to push themselves inside the already cramped space. The ones near the buttons were aimlessly pushing them at random. Words and numbers weren't visible with the masks on, so they may not have known what they were doing. Either way, we had to take the stairwell.

Even as we carefully made our way down the steps, inching past each Masked we came across, Ninety-one still insisted on keeping his grip on my hand. We were the only ones with bags on so it wouldn't have been that easy to lose each other, and he wasn't nearly as concerned with keeping up with Zero-zero. Was he angry with him about having a mask? But then why isn't he as mad at me about it. Maybe he didn't trust me not to run off. If he thought I was influenced by the Masked then why did he agree to put the mask on?

When we came close to a door that led to another floor, it flew open hard enough to crash against the railing. A group of seven or so normal people came rushing out. The spotted us almost immediately. The two at the back turned to run back into the hallway but were blocked by a Masked. It grabbed onto one of the group members as the others fled down the stairs. The, now two, Masked chased after them.

We had no choice but to continue down after them. Two floors down we saw fours Masked pushing against the partially opened door to the floor. One of them had their arm around it and was grabbing at the people inside. Ninety-one looked away as we passed the struggled. We were only midway down to the next floor when we heard the door above slam open.

Eventually, we reached the bottom of the stairs. It ended with a large door that opened up to a short hallway that came from behind the main desk in the lobby. There weren't as many Masked down here as the floor above. The ones that were there were standing around, watching as a bright white fire consumed the curtains that covered the windows. It flickered oddly in the skewed darkness. Against the larger windows, a white fire spread over the curtains. There was a loud pop before high pitched screeching filled the air. A flickering light began just as something started raining down on us.

Waving us on, Zero-zero ushered out to the stairs that lead to the parking garage. The parking lot was a mess of white lines twisting over each other. Puddles, cracks, and holes all looked alike. The water raining down only made things worse. Midway through the garage, Hue attempted to fly off. I hadn't been too focused on walking straight to pay him any mind. So when he suddenly jerked at his leash, the force pulled me between two cars. My side bumped heavily against one of them. It was enough to not only rock it but also set off the alarm.

The rapidly flashing lights made seeing so much worse than before. I squeezed my eyes shut as I stumbled forward and pulled against Hue's leash. I felt his pulling relax to a gentle tug. I turned back to see where the other two were, but could hardly see anything. Picking out the colors of their masks was impossible with the rapidly flashing lights. I tried to shout over the echoing wail, but nothing came out. I couldn’t speak with the mask on.

Keeping my eyes shut, I shuffled back between the cars. I felt around but found nothing. Again, I tried peeking out to find any clues on where the other two were. But this time I couldn’t even get a glimpse of where they could be. Frustrated, I lifted the mask up past my eyes. The dim light of the garage was as bright as sunlight in comparison to seeing through the mask. The flashing headlights were more tolerable as well.

I pushed the mask up so that it sat on my head before pulling Hue closer to me and holding him to my chest. As he tried to wiggle free, I looked up to see where he was trying to run off to and saw that the Uni-Cell van was a few car rows away. Apparently, the stairs had led us to the back corner of the garage.

"We need to get the others first," I told Hue.

Thankfully, they hadn't gotten more than a few vehicles away. Ninety-one had a grip on Zero-zero's shoulder as they tried to make their way around. The exposed part of Ninety-one's face was a deep inky black.

The didn't reach when I walked up, they probably weren't able to see me. Reaching out, I took Ninety-one's hand. He tried to jerk his hand back, but I held onto it. I did the comforting patting thing I'd seen people do on TV and that seemed to help. Carefully, I reach up and push the mask upon his head. The blackness that covered his pulled up with. It was like a sponge soaking it up into the past. Once it was gone Ninety-one blinked and smiled at me.

"Thank goodness you're safe. What happened?"

"Sorry, Hue suddenly pulled me away," I explained. “But I found my van. We can take that.

“Great, let’s go then.” Ninety-one reached up to take his mask off, but Zero-zero stopped him.

He had his mask pulled up onto his head as well. “Keep that on for now. The water from the sprinklers was contaminated, who knows what will if we take these off.”

I looked down at my soaked and stained clothing. If just touching the masks enough to keep us safe from the blacked water, could it also protect us from the Masked if they tried to change us?

“Why didn’t anyone want to use these?” I asked, more to myself than Zero-zero.

“They were afraid that even after the masks were taken off, the Masked mentality would stay. They were too worried about the risks to even consider what benefits it provides. Now the city is doomed.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Ninety-one countered. “They could still have a plan.”

Despite wanting to drive my own van, I was forced to sit in the back with Hue and the bags, while Zero-zero drove. Thankfully, there was a seat on each wall just behind both of the front seats. So at least I wasn't on the floor. The rest of the back was completely bare and with no other windows, I had to lean forward to see outside. I heard the splash of the water as we drove onto the flooding streets. A thin layer of blackened water completely covered the road. Up ahead, a car sat crashed against a broken fire hydrant the dark water showered the van as we passed.

The streets were mostly empty, with only a handful of Masked roaming around. From what I could see through the windows, the Masked had taken over nearly ever ground floor in the buildings around us. It would only be a matter of time before they took over the rest of the buildings as well.

I pulled down my masked and waited as the bright colors of the city faded in. Windows and doors were barely visible under the harsh light. It left each structure almost appeared as a solid block of saturated neon. If I angled myself enough, I could see the dark, gridded sky. No sun, no moon, no stars, not even any clouds. How could anyone tell that time has passed like this? Were the Masked ever concerned about something like that?

A hand came up and pulled the mask up to my hair. "Don't wear that," Ninety-one said.

"I was just looking at the building," I said while sitting back in my seat. "They look different from the outside."

"Through the masks, every building looks like a solid mass of vibrant color," Zero-zero explained.

"Why do things look like that through the mask?" Ninety-one asked.

"There's no telling," Zero-zero said while shaking his head. "With no way to closely examine them, it is impossible to understand how they work."

“I’m amazed that they can even find their way around.”

"They always looked confused when they are walking around," I said. "They probably aren't aware of what is around them."

"They are aware enough to know that they can change people into things like them. Even with their limited perception, they are naturally know how to navigate and work together,” Zero-zero said thoughtfully. “They somehow knew that they could taint the water to spread infect more people. They’re like a disease. Trying to spread as fast and as far as possible.”

“Does that mean they’re just sick?” I asked.

Zero-zero shook his head. “No, it is far more complicated than that. There is no sickness that does all this. There is no sickness that starts like this.”

“How did this start?” I asked. “The Masked had to have come from somewhere. Maybe they came from outside of the city?”

“If that is the case, it would be hard to find that out,” Ninety-one said.

“Can we contact any nearby cities and ask if they know anything?”

“I wish we could, but external communications to and from other cities have been impossible for the past several months. I believe the assumption was some kind of interference, but no one knows for sure,” Zero-zero told us. “All researched stopped after the Masked arrived, so I don’ know much else about it.”

Ninety-one ran a hand through his hair. “That’s right, I’d forgotten about that. The team they sent out did come back and everyone just assumed it was the Masked. Maybe there are even more of them outside the Heita limits. They couldn’t be a cause of the city being cut off?”

“Does that mean it is worse out there?” I asked. I don't’ remember any Masked on my way here, although I don’t remember getting near the Heita either. But if I was found just sitting in the van, I can’t imagine why the Masked didn’t get to me. “Are we stuck here?”

“No,” Zero-zero said confidently. “The Masked originated in Heita. I’ve tracked their movements enough to know that they don’t intend to stray too far from where the people are.”

“What happens when they run out of people to turn?” I asked.

“It won’t come to that,” Ninety-one said. “Just relax until we reach the Archives.”

I slumped back against my chair and just listened to the sound of the van moving over the road. I couldn’t help but wonder how many people could be left hiding out in the city. With the Masked setting off sprinklers and flooding the streets it would only be a matter of time until everyone would get turned. At this rate, how long would it take for the Masked of completely take over? The rest of the day, maybe tomorrow? Would Ninety-one still be willing to leave if the city was completely overtaken? If it got to that point, would we even be able to make it out?

Our masks will keep us safe, so even if we could get out with the van we could walk, but how fare could we get? What if the Masked followed us wherever we went and took over other cities? Their restriction to Heita could be temporary and self-imposed. For all, we knew they were just waiting until they are completely here before moving on. Hopefully, I was just overthinking it.

"We're here," Ninety-one said as we slowly stopped at a tall metal gate.

It was pressed within an equally tall cement wall. It was bare of any signs. I leaned forward while Zero-zero typed a code into a small metal box that stood on a thin pole. The walls ran far in both directions, disappearing in a curve.

The gate released a hollow groan as it slid open. The parking lot beyond it was even larger than the one at the mall. There wasn't a single tree or plant within the walls. An odd feeling filled my stomach as we entered the lot. The Archives was a tall building that looked nothing like the others in Heita. It was a blank as the walls that enclosed it. There were no visible windows that could be seen. The only break in the smooth concert were two large metal doors. There were only a couple dozen vehicles parked at the building, which was surprising given the scale of the lot.

"This is where you work?" I asked as Zero-zero parked the van.

"It is a lot more welcoming inside," Ninety-one assured.

I put Hue in my bag and zipped it up so that he couldn't escape. I glanced up at the building. It must have been at least five floors high. Ninety-one said that they kept all of the city's records and information here. What was the point of doing that? Important information I could understand, but every? On the surface, Heita didn't seem like a place that would need something like this. Maybe there was more to this city than I thought. I glanced around as we went up the steps that led to the metal doors. There wasn't a single Masked in the area. The high walls a protective gate made it the perfect place to hide from them.

The metal doors were at least three times taller than Zero-zero. He punched in a code into a small black box. A small white light flickered on it as a faint click was heard from the door. Ninety-one didn't struggle in the slightest as he pushed in one of the doors. String freezing air blew out from the building. As I passed its copy, I saw that it was as thick as my hand was long.

The inside was brighter than I expected it to be. The walls were a light gray with pictures the size of a person showing images of the Heita. The floor was a white tile with cyan, magenta and yellow tiles placed randomly. Before us was a wide staircase with metal railing that led up to the second floor. On either side of it were three elevators. On both, the left and right of us stretched long hallways that reached the length of the building. They disappeared in sharp turns. Looking up, I saw long rectangular lights that hurt to look at. The only sound around us was the AC that appeared to be blowing at full blast.

"We can settle in my office," Ninety-one said, "and I can show you where I work."

"We need to stop by my office first," Zero-zero said. "I have a decontamination shower that we can was this water off with. We also don't want anyone seeing us with these masks on either."

"Alright."

We followed Zero-zero to one of the elevators and took it down.

They were larger than expected. Most of Ninety-one's would have been able to fit inside. Zero-zero pushed a button labeled B8. The gentle music that was playing was mostly drowned out by the whirling machinery above us. It only softened when we reached our stop. The elevator dinged before the doors slid open. We stepped out into another white hallway that was nearly identical to the one we'd just came from.

We followed Zero-zero to the left. We passed several white doors. Most of them were labeled with numbers no other indications. Others said 'conference room 5', 'lab 7', 'storeroom 11', or the restrooms. Just like the floor above, there was no one else around.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked.

"I doubt that anyone is here to work. If they are here to hide out, then they won't come down here of all places," Zero-zero answered. "They are probably all on the second floor in the cafeteria or break rooms."

"We can go up there later on," Ninety-one said.

Eventually, we stopped at a door labeled 'lab 13', where Zero-zero typed in a code on a keypad that was set above the door handle. When it clicked open, he turned on the lights and let us into the room. It was about twice the size as my room at the apartment and smelled strongly of cleaning chemicals. To the right were tow metal tables that we lined up. The first was covered in papers. Some stacked neatly, others shuffled together and even crumbled up. The second table had Masked masks in different states of disrepair. Some were nearly whole, while others were shattered like glass. Next to them sat large glass jars with a deep black liquid in them.

On the left side of the room were two doors. One was metal and marked 'decontamination showers' and the other 'supplies'. Zero-zero headed to the supplies while I looked over the table with the papers on it. The first one I looked over had a list of dates and numbers. Another had a list of street names along with times. One the wall behind the tables was a map of Heita. On it were dozens of pins. There were ones in yellow, cyan and magenta. Most of the magenta pins were placed in the downtown area, with yellow near residential sections and cyan dotting within them and the places in between.

"What is this map for?" Ninety-one asked.

"Those are all the recorded locations of where the Masked have been seen," Zero-zero explained as he walked toward us while carrying what looked to be grey clothing. "Magenta for the higher number seen together and the most frequent appearances. Yellow for the more rare sightings and areas. Cyan covers what we have to call more moderate occurrences."

"There are a lot more than I would have guessed," Ninety-one said.

"After a while, not every report is made public. It becomes the norm and people begin to care less, even if the problem is getting worse. The mall wasn't the first building to be sealed, it was just the most public."

"What was the first?" I asked

"It was a small trade school for electricians. If I'm remembering correctly, it got a minute segment on the news." Zero-zero gave a heavy sigh. "Anyway, who wants to shower first?"


	13. Chapter 13

The shower was small, with hardly enough room to move around in, but at least I could tell the masked off my head. I hadn't realized how much of that black water had gotten on me until I saw it flow down the drain. To be on the safe side, I washed Hue off as well. Surprisingly, he wasn't as opposed to getting wet as I thought he would be. After bathing him, he mostly just sat with his mouth open to catch the water. I wonder if that's a dragon thing or if he's just odd.

I dried and dressed in the small space just outside of the shower. Hue was not as opened to having a towel rubbed over him. Which only made his claws get caught up in the fabric, making it worse. At the very least, he was dry by the time I got him free.

Zero-zero had me put my clothes in a box to be washed with everyone else's later. The spare he had given me were a bit big but were at least comfortable. While Ninety-one was taking his turn, I was sitting on a stool, picking at the mask pieces on the metal table. Hue was on the floor, still in my backpack, taking a nap under the table. I held up a section of a mask that was only teeth.

"Why do the Masked have this if they don't have a mouth?" I asked.

"I wish I knew," Zero-zero said from the other side of the table. "I'd give anything to know anything more about them. To understand what makes them do what they do."

"Maybe knowing where they came from would help? Or what they were made out of?" I suggested.

"No, I already know- I just need to know what created them and I might have an idea on how to reverse it."

I turned the piece of mask in my hands and debated whether or not to ask him about what he originally going to say. Knowing wouldn't change the situation. Regardless, we were likely going to leave Heita anyway.

"How long do you think we are going to stay here?" I asked instead.

There was a pause before he spoke. "I'm not sure. The Archives is a possibility the most secure place in town. Supplies for the kitchen are always kept up to stock with the intention of feeding over a thousand people a day, so food won't run low anytime soon with so few here. It has its own water tank, but once it gets too low it'll automatically connect itself to the city's waterline. So if everyone here is mindful about rationing, then we should be good for a long while."

"If the Masked don't get in," I added.

"At the rate they are overtaking the city, I don't doubt that they will eventually find there way here. Hopefully, we'll be out of there long before that happens."

"Ninety-one won't want to leave."

"No, he won't. But for now, let's rest just and think of a plan later."

Quiet fell between us as I continued to pick through the mask parts. I tried moving a few together to see if I could find any matching parts. My own mask was sitting in my backyard. There was no telling when we would need it again.

When it was Zero-zero's turn to wash off, I had moved back over to the other table. I leaned over the papers to read them, not wanting to shuffle anything around. From what I could make out they were detailed reports on the Masked for the most part. Each of them has the date and estimated the time at the top. Sitting with my knees on the chair, I looked for the earliest one. I had no intention of trying the solve the Masked problem, I doubted it could be solved, but I was curious.

"How about when Zero-zero gets done, we go up to the cafeteria?" Ninety-one suggested, "There might be someone there I know that I couldn't introduce you too."

"Alright," I said, only half-listening.

"There might be others like you that you can make friends with."

This seemed like an odd situation to be considered about meeting new friends, but I said nothing about it. What would be the point? Heita was hardly suitable to live in any unless we wanted to keep our masks on constantly.

"How long do you want to stay here?" I asked while carefully lifting papers. Maybe I was better off checking the organized stack.

"Until the authorities can get control of the city."

"Zero already said that wasn't possible. There are too many Masked." The stack had dates going months back, but they weren't organized in any way that I could tell. Location possibly, but I didn't know the city enough for that. It didn't matter, I had as long as I wanted. Unless Zero-zero took them.

"We don't know that for certain."

"It's essentially the only thing we do know," I said without looking up.

"Things are bad now, but that doesn't mean they won't get better. We just need to wait it out.

"I don't want to wait until it is too late and get turned into a Masked." It would be pathetic after having survived the Enforcers.

"Do you know where we would go if we did leave?"

"I'd find another city to live in just like I did when I left Goldsboro."

I heard him walk up to stand next to me. "What if the Masked don't stay in the city and they spread further?"

I set down the papers I'd already scanned through to the side and looked up at him. His white eyebrows were knitted together. He didn't look mad, just agitated, frustrated at the situation. "Wouldn't that make staying here worse then? If they are going to spread, they will do it regardless of what we do, but if they don't then at least we can get away."

Ninety-one sat in the stool next to me and stared down at the papers. "I understand your reasoning, but for me leaving the city feeling like abandoning my life here. Everyone and everything I've ever known would just be gone."

I had not considered that.

"We can't afford to stay here," Zero-zero said as he dropped his old clothes into the box with ours. With his chipped mask in hand, he came and sat across the table from us. "I know this is hard. What's happening here isn't normal by any means, and it's because of that, that we can't put off leaving for too much longer. No one knows how far this will escalate or what it will escalate to. This isn't some kind of natural disaster that we can calculate and work around with little risk. This is not something that is just going to go away."

Ninety-one rubbed his hands over his face. "Then how do we know it will stop at Heita?"

"We don't, but it is better to be at the edge of a disaster than at the center if it."

With his elbows on the table and head in his hands, Ninety-one stared wordlessly down at the table, his damp hair fell messily around him.

My gaze shifted downward as Hue walked out from under the other table. He has a strap of the backpack stuck around his foot, dragging it as he went. When he got close enough, I reached down and picked him up. I kept him on my lap so he wouldn't mess up the papers.

"When Goldsboro was destroyed, the destruction didn't go past the city limits," I told them. "This is a bit different, but what happened there also wasn't normal."

"Wasn't it an earthquake that destroyed Goldsboro?" Zero-zero asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know what to call it. Buildings just started breaking apart and rising from the ground. I'm not entirely sure why it happened."

When I looked up at them, they were both watching me, wide-eyed. Zero-zero, having not heard me talk about Goldsboro before, looked the most unnerved. "What happened to the people there?"

"The Enforcers, right?" Ninety-one asked.

"Maybe. They had been going around collecting people sometime before I was imprisoned."

"Who are the Enforcers? Why were you imprisoned?" Zero-zero asked.

"It's a hard story to believe," I warned them. "It doesn't make a lot of sense, to be honest."

"We'll keep an open mind," Ninety-one promised. Zero-zero nodded in agreement.

I told them what happened in Goldsboro. Not everything. Not entirely how they happened. I wasn't sure about telling them everything. Not about how Hue became a dragon, or how I was partially responsible for what happened to Goldsboro, or how I and everything else there came from factories. I just kept the summary of what happened to Hines, the Enforcement and the Overseers and what they did to the city. What happened at Goldsboro felt so impossible that I wasn't sure that either of them would honestly believe what I said. Adding anything extra would not help. I was forced to keep them a secret, especially about the library. So in the end, it was merely a brief summary.

When I was done Zero-zero was watching Hue. "So Goldsboro had no color before your dragon, Hue, came in contact with is red color. Since then every color he has, come in contact with appeared on his back. Did they fade after you left the city?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, he has sections on white on his back," he paused. "Right?"

"I- no. They are still here. Since coming here cyan and magenta have been added to his back. I guess no one else can see them. Maybe because those colors don't exist here."

"What about outside Heita?" Ninety-one asked.

"Between the cities, there are far more than just the five that are here, even more than the few that were in Goldsboro. I remember a few of them, but I don't know what they are called."

The two of them went quiet. Zero-zero stood up and began pacing around. Beside me, Ninety-one watched him with concern. Maybe telling them was a bad idea.

"This is...I don't know what to call it. These things should be impossible. But what you've said, the Masked, these things aren't normal. What on earth is happening?"

"Are you alright?" Ninety-one asked.

"Yes, yes. I'm just a bit confounded about all this. And here I thought the Masked alone were unbelievable." He stopped as thought for a moment. "Would you two be willing to hear about how the first Masked came to be. It isn't as compelling as Sol's story, but it isn't easy to believe either."

"You know how they got here?" Ninety-one asked.

"I was one of the few that saw it happen," Zero-zero said as he came back to sit with us.

"I want to know," I said.

"If people know then why isn't it public?" Ninety-one asked.

"As I said, it isn't easy to believe. The first Masked came from here, not far down the hall, specifically. He was an IT worker named M3-2605. I didn't know him personally but had seen him around a few times before the incident. Do you remember those power surges a few months back?" Zero-zero asked. "They were a result of tests to see if a stronger communication signal would reestablish a connection to an outside world.

"Yes. They stopped them after they kept ruining equipment," Ninety-one said. "Why?"

"After the one of these the big printer in the storeroom near my lab didn't come back on properly. So they had M3-2605 come down after dark to try and fix it. I happened to be staying late to get some work done. There wasn't much else to do back then. I remember that he had to nearly take the thing completely apart. Anyway, I had come in to get something when I saw that he had his hands deep in the wiring. I don't know if they ran another test or what happened but it suddenly started up. It began spitting out ink, more than could have been possible. It clung to Zero-five like it was alive, covering him completely. Within moments he's body had disappeared and the mask formed in his face."

Zero-zero watched the table as he waited for us to respond. It was hard to believe that every that had happened in Heita was a result of an accident, as impossible as it sounded. A printer of all things created the Masked.

"How is that possible?" Ninety-one asked. "What kind of tests could they have possibly been running to have made a printer do that to a man? They were just making the signals stronger weren't they?"

Zero-zero shook his head but didn't look up. "I don't know myself. No one I've talked to knows anything about the specifics of the test. The best that I have gathered is that they were experimenting with a new method of powering their equipment. After the incident, they trashed the project."

"It thought they kept all information here?" I asked.

"If something is too dangerous, they'll seal at the lowest floor. Only government officials have access to it now," Zero-zero explained. "At this point, no one can get to it. Not that it matters. With what you said about Goldsboro, I am more than confident that we will be safe once we leave the city."

"Then might as well leave now," Ninety-one said.

Zero-zero shook his head. "The day is already half over. We can wait until morning."

"We should also tell the others here that they are better off leaving the city."

"We will, but for now let's get some rest. It had been a long day."

While Zero-zero when to get our clothes washed, I gathered up our masks to put in my backpack. Afterward, we headed up to the second floor. Once there Ninety-one led the way to one of the breakrooms.

The atmosphere in there was much lighter. The room was painted in a light yellow. There were several dozen tables there, with only a handful of them having people. Everyone inside was happily chatting with one another. Some had cans or plastic cups of drinks sitting in front of them. A few of the people waved and nodded at us as we passed.

Zero-zero and I took a seat at a table while Ninety-one got us drinks from a vending machine not too far away. I turned my attention to one of the large televisions that sat high on the walls. They were showing overhead footage of the city as the Masked continued to take over. The streets shined and glistened as waves of dark water flowed over them. Thousands of Masked waded the water, lost and aimless. The sound was too low to be heard over the content chatter around us.

The energy here was far too relaxed. Glanced around I saw everyone enjoying their little world here. A man with cyan skin like mine laughed happily with another of yellow skin. A group of five Zenites looked to be playing some sort of board game.

"You wouldn't think they were aware of the tragedy going on outside," Zero-zero muttered. I could help but nod in agreement.

"They are just trying to keep their spirits up," Ninety-one said as he set three soda cans on the table. He slid one to each of us.

While the two of them fell into a conversation, I turned my attention back toward the television. The video showed only the Masked. No one was out there trying to stop them. No one was attempting to rescue anyone who needed help. Heita had been lost within a day and yet the people around us didn't seem to care. Maybe Ninety-one was right, they were just trying to stay uplifted.

Maybe the people here were just like that. These people were facing the loss of their homes and yet I'd never seen anyone in Goldsboro nearly as peaceful as they are now. This place was strange. It was a shame I wouldn't be able to see more of it.

I don't know how long we sat in there, quietly listen to the mix of voices. Occasionally I would glaze up the TV to see if there were any changes. Unfortunately, my curiosity and waiting paid off. I got Ninety-one and Zero-zero's attention and pointed to the screen.

The water in the streets was parting and was now making its way up the sides of everything in the city. The Masked continued to wonder about, either unaware or uncaring about the shifting water. It moved slowly, by the look of it the water hadn't even reached the height of a single-story building yet.

"Should we still wait until tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. We should see what happens before heading out." Zero-zero said before leaning in close to us. "However. just in case leaving as soon as tomorrow morning is still an option we need to gather a few things. We need to find a vending machine somewhere more isolated and get as much as we can from it before we leave."

"Do we need extra clothes?" I asked.

"The nearest city is only a few hours away," Ninety-one said. "We don't need to be drastic."

"There's no telling how long it'll take to get out of here. We need to be prepared," Zero-zero advised. "We'll make an announcement about leaving after we've gathered what we need. It'll be less complicated for us that way."

With that, we left to gather what we needed. Zero-zero left to gather clothes and first aid supplies from the lower floors, while I followed Ninety-one to the far end of the Archives to find a good place to gather the food and drinks we needed. He was quiet as we walked. I wanted to say something so help him feel better about the situation, but nothing came to mind. I didn't know how to cheer anyone up. There wasn't anything I could do. The best I could hope for was to get out of here and somewhere safe quickly.


End file.
